Trying to reduce stigma, Mayo launches LGBTQ-focused breast cancer clinic

People who identify as LGBTQ can face major disparities and stigma when it comes to cancer care, often resulting in later-stage diagnoses and poorer outcomes than other patients.

Dr. Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, is determined to change that.

This summer, Cathcart-Rake and a team at Mayo launched Rainbows, a cancer clinic tailored to meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender-diverse and intersex patients. Rainbows will initially focus on supporting patients with breast cancer, with the goal of eventually expanding to include other types of tumors already treated at Mayo.