MedWire News: US researchers report that a significant number of women do not fully understand discussions about their genomic-based recurrence risk for breast cancer.
This “presents the need to continue developing optimal ways to communicate and ensure both perceived and actual comprehension of genomic-based information,” say study author Noel Brewer (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and colleagues.
Few studies have examined how patients understand and use genomic test results when deciding about treatment. Brewer and team therefore surveyed 77 women with early stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer with 0–3 positive lymph nodes to examine how they received and understood risk recurrence information based on the genomic test Oncotype DX.
The researchers found that most women had either a low (50% of 68) or intermediate (37% of 68) risk for breast cancer recurrence, according to their test results.
The majority (71%) of women accurately recalled their recurrence risk based on the test and felt they understood much of what they were told about it (67%). However, a third of women believed they understood only a moderate amount or less.
Of note, women who believed they understood less did not receive printed materials about the test. This suggests that “a way to help women achieve greater perceived understanding may be to provide printed materials about the test,” remark Brewer et al.
Women's perceived recurrence risk was associated with their actual genomic-based recurrence risks, having had a previous cancer diagnosis, and worry about recurrence.
Approximately 25% of women recalled experiencing test-related distress, which was associated with having a higher genomic-based recurrence risk.
Women with high recurrence risk typically had chemotherapy (78% of nine), whereas only two (7% of 30) women with a low recurrence risk had chemotherapy.
Writing in the journal Cancer, Brewer and co-authors conclude: “Genomic testing for breast cancer recurrence risk is well received by women with early stage breast cancer.”
However, they add: “Women with intermediate and high genomic-based recurrence risks deserve special attention, as they are more likely to suffer from worry about recurrence and distress regarding their test result.”
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