Physicians stress that biological sex remains a foundational variable in medicine, shaping everything from differential diagnoses and drug dosing to referral pathways and screening schedules. If clinicians infer biological sex from honorifics or legal gender markers rather than medical records, they say, the risk of error rises significantly. “Biology does not change,” he said, noting that cancer does not “read constitutions or ID cards,” but targets organs that exist. Trans women may still have a prostate and require prostate cancer screening, while trans men may retain a uterus and ovaries, making cervical or ovarian cancer screening essential. A responsible healthcare system, he said, must uphold two principles at once: respecting gender identity while retaining sex assigned at birth for medical accuracy.

Source: Bangkok Post January 08, 2026 11:36 UTC