Women’s intentions to engage in risk-reducing behaviours after receiving personal ovarian cancer risk information: an experimental survey study

Risk stratification using genetic and/or other types of information could identify women at increased ovarian cancer risk. The aim of this study was to examine women’s potential reactions to ovarian cancer risk stratification. 1,017 women aged 45-75 years took part in an online experimental survey. Women were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions describing hypothetical personal results from ovarian cancer risk stratification, and asked to imagine they had received one of three results: (a) 5% risk due to SNPs and lifestyle factors; (b) 10% risk due to SNPs and lifestyle factors; (c) 10% risk due to a rare mutation in BRCA2. 83% of women indicated interest in having ovarian cancer risk assessment. After receiving their hypothetical risk estimates, 29% of women stated they would have risk-reducing surgery. Choosing risk-reducing surgery over other behavioural responses was associated with having higher surgery self-efficacy and perceived response-efficacy, but not with perceptions of disease threat, i.e. perceived risk or severity, or with experimental condition. A substantial proportion of women age 45-75 years may be open to the idea of surgery to reduce risk of ovarian cancer, even if their absolute lifetime risk is only increased to as little as 5 or 10%.

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Women’s Intentions to Engage in Risk-Reducing Behaviours after Receiving Personal Ovarian Cancer Risk Information: An Experimental Survey Study

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12123543 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 3543

Author(s):

Ailish Gallagher ◽

Jo Waller ◽

Ranjit Manchanda ◽

Ian Jacobs ◽

Saskia Sanderson

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Risk Stratification ◽

Lifestyle Factors ◽

Lifetime Risk ◽

Cancer Risk Assessment ◽

Survey Study ◽

Ovarian Cancer Risk ◽

Risk Reducing ◽

Experimental Survey

Risk stratification using genetic and/or other types of information could identify women at increased ovarian cancer risk. The aim of this study was to examine women’s potential reactions to ovarian cancer risk stratification. A total of 1017 women aged 45–75 years took part in an online experimental survey. Women were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions describing hypothetical personal results from ovarian cancer risk stratification, and asked to imagine they had received one of three results: (a) 5% lifetime risk due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and lifestyle factors; (b) 10% lifetime risk due to SNPs and lifestyle factors; (c) 10% lifetime risk due to a single rare mutation in a gene. Results: 83% of women indicated interest in having ovarian cancer risk assessment. After receiving their hypothetical risk estimates, 29% of women stated they would have risk-reducing surgery. Choosing risk-reducing surgery over other behavioural responses was associated with having higher surgery self-efficacy and perceived response-efficacy, but not with perceptions of disease threat, i.e., perceived risk or severity, or with experimental condition. A substantial proportion of women age 45–75 years may be open to the idea of surgery to reduce risk of ovarian cancer, even if their absolute lifetime risk is only increased to as little as 5 or 10%.

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Impact of a decision aid about stratified ovarian cancer risk-management on women’s knowledge and intentions: a randomised online experimental survey study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-017-4889-0 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Susanne F. Meisel ◽

◽

Maddie Freeman ◽

Jo Waller ◽

Lindsay Fraser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Risk Management ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Decision Aid ◽

Survey Study ◽

Ovarian Cancer Risk ◽

Women's Knowledge ◽

Women’S Knowledge ◽

Cancer Risk Management ◽

Experimental Survey

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Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment

Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1097/00006250-200604001-00025 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 107 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 11S ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deborah A. Ronco ◽

John P. Geisler ◽

K J. Manahan

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Risk Assessment ◽

Ovarian Cancer Risk

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Predictors of risk-reducing surgery intentions following genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Translational Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/tbm/iby101 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 337-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mary Kathleen Ladd ◽

Beth N Peshkin ◽

Leigha Senter ◽

Shari Baldinger ◽

Claudine Isaacs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Genetic Counseling ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Prophylactic Surgery ◽

Ovarian Cancer Risk ◽

Breast And Ovarian Cancer ◽

Affective Factors ◽

Risk Reducing

Abstract Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) and salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) are increasingly used to reduce breast and ovarian cancer risk following BRCA1/BRCA2 testing. However, little is known about how genetic counseling influences decisions about these surgeries. Although previous studies have examined intentions prior to counseling, few have examined RRM and RRSO intentions in the critical window between genetic counseling and test result disclosure. Previous research has indicated that intentions at this time point predict subsequent uptake of surgery, suggesting that much decision-making has taken place prior to result disclosure. This period may be a critical time to better understand the drivers of prophylactic surgery intentions. The aim of this study was to examine predictors of RRM and RRSO intentions. We hypothesized that variables from the Health Belief Model would predict intentions, and we also examined the role of affective factors. Participants were 187 women, age 21–75, who received genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. We utilized multiple logistic regression to identify independent predictors of intentions. 49.2% and 61.3% of participants reported intentions for RRM and RRSO, respectively. Variables associated with RRM intentions include: newly diagnosed with breast cancer (OR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.20–11.04), perceived breast cancer risk (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.17–1.81), perceived pros (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.38–2.32) and cons of RRM (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.65–0.996), and decision conflict (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.66–0.98). Variables associated with RRSO intentions include: proband status (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09–0.89), perceived pros (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.11–1.63) and cons of RRSO (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.59–0.89), and ambiguity aversion (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65–0.95). These data provide support for the role of genetic counseling in fostering informed decisions about risk management, and suggest that the role of uncertainty should be explored further.

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