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County-Level Association of Sexual Minority Density with Breast Cancer Incidence: Results from an Ecological Study

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Abstract

To test the hypothesis that breast cancer incidence rates are higher in areas where more lesbian women reside. In this secondary analysis, we are linking Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) breast cancer data from 1996 to 2004 with Census 2000 data. From the Census 2000 data on female same-sex partnered households, we derive a measure of sexual minority women density (SMWD) for each of the 215 counties covered by SEER 12. We test the association of SMWD with breast cancer incidence using multivariable Poisson regression models that control for age, race, and socioeconomic status. We find a significant positive association between SMWD and breast cancer incidence. The incidence rate ratio indicates that a one-unit increase in SMWD is associated with a 13% increase in breast cancers. Our findings suggest that lesbian women may be overrepresented among women with breast cancer. Future studies are needed, relating breast cancer incidence to individual sexual orientation, to confirm our findings.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation (Grant # DISP0707511), PI: U. Boehmer. We thank Deborah Bowen, Ph.D. who provided feedback on the first draft of this manuscript. We also thank Xiaopeng Miao, doctoral candidate in the Department of Biostatistics at Boston University, for her assistance with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Crosstown Center, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Ulrike Boehmer

  2. Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Crosstown Center, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Al Ozonoff & Alison Timm

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  1. Ulrike Boehmer
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  2. Al Ozonoff
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  3. Alison Timm
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Correspondence to Ulrike Boehmer.

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Boehmer, U., Ozonoff, A. & Timm, A. County-Level Association of Sexual Minority Density with Breast Cancer Incidence: Results from an Ecological Study. Sex Res Soc Policy 8, 139–145 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-010-0032-z

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