OBJECTIVES: We assessed the willingness of gay and bisexual men, who have high rates of anal cancer that might be prevented through regular screening, to receive anal Papanicolaou tests. METHODS: We surveyed a national sample of men aged 18 to 59 years who self-identified as gay (n = 236) or bisexual (n = 70). RESULTS: Most respondents were willing to accept free screening (83%), but fewer would pay for the test (31%; McNemar's chi(2) = 158.02; P < .001). Willingness to pay for screening was higher among men who reported greater worry about getting anal cancer (OR odds ratio = 1.70; 95% confidence interval CI = 1.06, 2.72), higher perceived likelihood of anal cancer (OR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.18, 2.99), and higher income (OR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.18, 3.98), in adjusted analyses. Only 33% (17 of 51) of HIV-positive respondents, who have the highest risk for anal cancer, had received anal Papanicolaou tests. CONCLUSIONS: Anal cancer screening was highly acceptable to gay and bisexual men, although cost was a major barrier. Efforts to reduce anal cancer disparities should target beliefs about anal cancer and barriers to anal Papanicolaou testing in this population.
Reed et al. (Fri,) studied this question.