SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! booth

SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! Offers Resources at Twin Cities Pride

2 minutes

SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! hosted a booth at this year’s Twin Cities Pride, providing resources for HPV and anal cancer to attendees. 

The SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! team aimed to educate and increase awareness of HPV and its associated risks, including anal cancer. The booth offered on site anal cancer screening and HPV vaccines to eligible individuals.

Overall, SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! was able to provide services to 160 people, with 144 individuals completing anal cancer screening and 41 receiving the HPV vaccine. The team also raised $4,000 in donations for their research and outreach work.

Dr. Elliot Arsoniadis started SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! in response to low anal cancer screening rates among groups that are at an increased risk for developing it, including:

  • Men & Transgender women who have sex with men and are living with HIV
  • Men & Transgender women who have sex with men and are not living with HIV
  • Women living with HIV
  • Men who have sex with women and are living with HIV
  • Women with prior cervical, vaginal, or vulvar HPV-related disease
  • Solid Organ Transplant recipients
  • Other immunosuppressed people

SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! aims to increase awareness of anal cancer risk and screening/treatment options among patients and the providers who care for them. Similarly, they aim to end stigma surrounding anal health and break down barriers to discussing sexual orientation, sexual practices, and anal health within healthcare settings and within the communities they seek to serve.

The SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! team investigates new and innovative methods to increase screening for anal cancer among high risk populations, in particular LGBTQ+ individuals and individuals with HIV. SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! also conducts community outreach to inform people of anal cancer and provide screening and treatment options.

SAVETHEBOTTOMS!!! will continue to participate in events focused on the LGBTQ+ community and expand to work with additional partners. The program is going to have a bigger focus on informing providers and encouraging them to implement anal cancer screenings. 

Additionally, Dr. Arsoniadis has plans to pilot an at-home anal cancer screening test.