Cancer
Cancer is one of those things that people speak in hushed tones about but if anyone who was a big Sex in the City fan will know (and fess up, loads of you are!), talking about it, is one of the best things you can do. There are lots of different cancers, just about any cell in your body can decide to go it's merry little way and produce hundreds of clones of itself and then you've got cancer. There isn't space or time to go into all the different types, lots of them are very rare and hopefully few of us will be affected by them in our lives, so here are some of the ones to look out for, the key thing is if you're worried go and get it checked out, many cancers can be treated really well if caught early so don't hang about just go and see your GP.
Although little is known about cancer in trans people there is nothing to suggest that trans people don't get cancer and aren't at risk, so don't take the risk, if you have symptoms get them checked out by a healthcare professional.
We managed to find one paper on cancer in trans people from the American Cancer Association here, and this paper on breast cancer in trans people and finally this paper from Canada.
If you were born a man…
Testicular Cancer
That's cancer of your balls, if you still have them. It's quite common and affects often young men in their teens and twenties. The key to this one is to catch it early, and the way to do that is to play with your balls a lot, get used to how they feel, run your fingers over them in the shower (it's easier standing up) so you get used to what they feel like and if you feel a lump or are concerned pop down to your GP and have a chat. There's a good leaflet at www.gmh.org.uk/balls/index.shtml which helps you work out what to look out for.
Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a gland which sits just inside you arse, you can feel it if you finger yourself as a small walnut shaped lump, and it's the bit of you which helps make the fluid bit of cum. Prostate cancer normally affects mature guys and can usually be treated easily. It's important to recognise that trans women will still have a prostate post-gender reassignment surgery and can still develop prostate cancer. The signs to look out for are:
- Needing to piss often and getting little warning that you need to go.
- Finding it hard to start or stop pissing.
- Lots of dribbling at the end of a piss.
- Finding it a strain to empty your bladder properly.
- Leaking or dribbling piss.
Sometimes your prostate can get enlarged or inflamed for other reasons and that can give you similar symptoms and you may need a blood test to work out what's going on. The main thing is…go and see a doctor! There's more info at www.prostate-cancer.org.uk
And if you were born a woman…
Okay most of us have some awareness of the 'women's cancers' so we won't go into huge detail here, but the research suggests that many bisexual women are not accessing the screening oportunities offered through the national screening programmes. So here is some basic information about the two main screening opportunities that you should access if you still have a cervix and/or uterus:
Smears & Cervical Cancer
No one likes having a smear, but the cervical cancer screening programme is there because this is a curable cancer if caught early enough and many women (including lesbians and trans men who still have a cervix) are found to have abnormalities that can be easily treated. Cervical cancer is associated with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes gential warts, although many of us carry it without any sign at all. It is an urban myth that trans men who have a cervix don't need smears, firstly if you've ever had sex with a man you may have picked up HPV and be at risk, and secondly there is some suggestion that you can pass it between you and your partner on toys and finger tips. Trans men with a cervix should be offered screening from their 20s and it is never too late to start.
Bolton PCT produced this excellent leaflet on Smears for Lesbians and it's definitely worth a look; although written for lesbians it has useful information for trans men:
Lesbian Smear Guide PDF
Breast Cancer Screening & Mammograms
Well here's another screening opportunity but this time for the more mature among us who have not had a mastectomy. One in Eight women will come into contact with breast cancer in their lives and it is a serious disease which can be treated much more easily if caught early. It's not particularly comfortable but it does save lives and for a few minutes of discomfort you could identify an abnormality early when it can be sorted out.
Here are a few sites that will give you some basic information about what screening involves and some more information about breast cancer:
www.lgf.org.uk/female_health.php?ID=16
And for everyone…
If you do have cancer, or have a friend or relative who has cancer, sometimes it's nice to be able to talk or email other people in similar situations. This website is quite useful for linking people together with similar conditions so might be worth a look: www.mywavelength.com/search_people_h.php?cat=3
