Cancer screening and management in the transgender population:Review of literature and special considerations for gender affirmation surgery

BACKGROUND Literature focused on cancer screening and management is lacking in the transgender population.AIM To action to increase contributions to the scientific literature that drives the creation of cancer screening and management protocols for transgender and gender nonconforming(TGNC)patients.METHODS We performed a systematic search of PubMed on January 5th,2022,with the following terms:“TGNC”,OR“transgender”,OR“gender non-conforming”,OR“gender nonbinary”AND“cancer screening”,AND“breast cancer”,AND“cervical cancer”,AND“uterine cancer”,AND“ovarian cancer”,AND“prostate cancer”,AND“testicular cancer”,AND“surveillance”,AND“follow-up”,AND“management”.70 unique publications were used.The findings are discussed under“Screening”and“Management”categories.RESULTS Screening:Current cancer screening recommendations default to cis-gender protocols.However,long-term genderaffirming hormone therapy and loss to follow-up from the gender-specific specialties contribute to a higher risk for cancer development and possible delayed detection.The only known screening guidelines made specifically for this population are from the American College of Radiology for breast cancer.Management:Prior to undergoing Gender Affirmation Surgery(GAS),discussion should address cancer screening and management in the organs remaining in situ.Cancer treatment in this population requires consideration for chemotherapy,radiation,surgery and/or reconstruction.Modification of hormone therapy is decided on a case-by-case basis.The use of prophylactic vs aesthetic techniques in surgery is still debated.CONCLUSION When assessing transgender individuals for GAS,a discussion on the future oncologic risk of the sex-specific organs remaining in situ is essential.Cancer management in this population requires a multidisciplinary approach while the care should be highly individualized with considerations to social,medical,surgical and gender affirming surgery related specifications.Special considerations have to be made during planning for GAS as surgery will alter the anatomy and may render the organ difficult to sample for screening purposes.A discussion with the patient regarding the oncologic risk of remaining organs is imperative prior to GAS.Other special considerations to screening such as the conscious or unconscious will to unassociated with their remaining organs is also a key point to address.We currently lack high quality studies pertinent to the cancer topic in the gender affirmation literature.Further research is required to ensure more comprehensive and individualized care for this population.

Impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy on the development of COVID-19 infections and associated complications:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)can produce a wide range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic to life-threatening.Various researchers have worked to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying these variable presentations.Differences in individual responses to systemic inflammation and coagulopathy appear to be modulated by several factors,including sex steroid hormones.Transgender men or non-binary individuals who undergo gender-affirming hormone therapy(GAHT)are a unique population of interest for exploring the androgen-mediated coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)hypothesis.As the search for reliable and effective COVID-19 treatments continues,understanding the risks and benefits of GAHT may mitigate COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality in this patient population.AIM To investigate the potential role of GAHT in the development of COVID-19 infections and complications.METHODS This systematic review implemented an algorithmic approach using PRISMA guidelines.PubMed,Scopus,Google Scholar top 100 results,and archives of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was on January 12,2022 using the key words“gender”AND“hormone”AND“therapy”AND“COVID-19”as well as associated terms.Non-English articles,articles published prior to 2019(prior to COVID-19),and manuscripts in the form of reviews,commentaries,or letters were excluded.References of the selected publications were screened as well.RESULTS The database search resulted in the final inclusion of 14 studies related to GAHT COVID-19.Of the included studies,only two studies directly involved and reported on COVID-19 in transgender patients.Several clinical trials looked at the relationship between testosterone,estrogen,and progesterone in COVID-19 infected cis-gender men and women.It has been proposed that androgens may facilitate initial COVID-19 infection,however,once this occurs,testosterone may have a protective effect.Multiple clinical studies have shown that low baseline testosterone levels in men with COVID-19 are associated with worsening outcomes.The role of female sex hormones,including estrogen and progesterone have also been proposed as potential protective factors in COVID-19 infection.This was exemplified in multiple studies investigating different outcomes in pre-and post-menopausal women as well as those taking hormone replacement therapy.Two studies related specifically to transgender patients and GAHT found that estrogen and progesterone could help protect men against COVID-19,and that testosterone hormone therapy may increase the risk of contracting COVID-19.CONCLUSION Few studies were found related to the role of GAHT in COVID-19 infections.Additional research is necessary to enhance our understanding of this relationship and provide better care for transgender patients.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome:prevalence and outcomes in gender affirming surgery-a single institution experience

Aim:Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome(EDS)are considered to have an increased risk for wound healing complications.Surgeons may therefore be hesitant to offer elective surgeries,including gender-affirming surgeries(GAS),to EDS patients.At our center,we frequently encountered patients presenting for GAS evaluation with the co-existing diagnosis of EDS.This study aims to establish the prevalence of EDS diagnosis in our GAS patients and compare their post-operative complications to patients without EDS diagnosis.Methods:This is a single-institution retrospective case-control study on all patients who underwent GAS from 2016-2020.Data include EDS diagnosis,demographics,operation,and complications(including minor wound healing issues).Results:Of 1363 patients presenting for GAS,36(2.6%)had EDS diagnoses and were matched with 108 control patients.Major complications requiring surgical intervention in the OR occurred in 6 patients(4.2%),(2.8% EDS vs.5.4%controls;P=0.63),while 8.3% of EDS and 14% of controls required minor interventions(P=0.38).The rate of wound healing issues of any severity was 28% in EDS vs.47% in control groups(P=0.04).Conclusion:The prevalence of EDS diagnosis in our patient population is 132 times the highest reported prevalence in the general population.Wound healing issues and the need for additional post-operative interventions in the group with EDS diagnosis were not significantly different from the control group.Our findings suggest that patients with a diagnosis of EDS undergoing GAS have comparable outcomes to patients without EDS.Concerns for post-operative complications should not be a barrier to offering GAS to patients presenting with an EDS diagnosis.

Postphalloplasty urinary function test:an observational study of novel outcome instrument to capture urinary dysfunction and quality of life after phalloplasty

Due to growing social acceptance,there has been an increasing number of gender-affirmation surgeries performed in North America.Most research in this patient population focuses on surgical outcomes and advancing techniques.However,little work has been done to study functional outcomes.To better evaluate urinary dysfunction in the postphalloplasty trans men patient population,our group developed a novel patient-reported outcome instrument-the postphalloplasty urinary function test(PP UFT)and protocol to measure postvoid urethral volume(PVUR),and we present our preliminary results.We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study in a cohort of 15 adult trans men who had undergone phalloplasty with urethral lengthening surgery between 2018 and 2021.Patients had stable urinary function via the neophallus at the time of survey.Patients filled out the PP UFT and were asked to record their PVUR as per our protocol.The average PP UFT score was 8.9 out of 40 and the average quality-of-life(QOL)score was 2.6.Postvoid dribbling constituted the major complaint and on average comprised 63.2%of the reported PP UFT score.The average PVUR was 2.2 ml(range:0.5-5.6 ml).There was a positive correlation between higher PP UFT and worse-reported quality of life(P<0.01;R?=0.4).Current questionnaires accepted in cis-male urology have limitations for accurately capturing urinary dysfunction in this specific patient group.The combination of PP UFT and PVUR measurement offers potential for quantifying urinary function and quality of life in patients who undergo phalloplasty.Future studies will validate these instruments.