Survey of primary care physicians' views about breast and ovarian cancer screening for true BRCA1/2 non-carriers.
S PelletierG LaroucheJ ChiquetteZ El HaffafW D FoulkesP HametJ SimardMichel DorvalPublished in: Journal of community genetics (2019)
Despite some controversy, true BRCA1/2 non-carriers are generally considered to be at an average risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Primary care physicians are then expected to encourage their non-carrier patients to adopt cancer screening practices appropriate to women of the same age in the general population. This study aimed to describe breast and ovarian cancer screening recommendations that primary care physicians would consider advisable for young true BRCA1/2 non-carriers. One hundred thirty-four family physicians and 123 gynecologists (response rate 45%) completed a cross-sectional mailed survey administered in the Province of Quebec, Canada. The survey included questions about basic genetic knowledge and screening recommendations for two fictitious cases (< 40 years), one carrier and one non-carrier, from a BRCA1/2 mutation-positive family. Screening exams considered advisable did not differ significantly between family physicians and gynecologists. More than 75% of physicians considered the cancer risks of true non-carriers to be comparable with that of the general population and 14% to be a little higher. Still, 53% would prescribe a biennial and or even an annual (27%) mammography to a non-carrier woman before the recommended starting age. Physician considerations of non-carriers' expectations or requests for screening were associated with more screening prescriptions. More than half of primary care physicians would recommend more mammography screenings than expected for a young true BRCA1/2 non-carrier. Personalized cancer risk assessment may help primary care physicians tailor screening of women from BRCA1/2 mutation-positive families and allow these women to make more informed choices regarding cancer risk management options.
Keyphrases
- primary care
- general practice
- breast cancer risk
- risk assessment
- papillary thyroid
- healthcare
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- end stage renal disease
- cross sectional
- type diabetes
- south africa
- squamous cell carcinoma
- magnetic resonance
- magnetic resonance imaging
- dna methylation
- emergency department
- skeletal muscle
- gene expression
- newly diagnosed
- adipose tissue
- computed tomography
- peritoneal dialysis
- climate change
- insulin resistance
- human health
- image quality
- contrast enhanced
- middle aged
- patient reported outcomes
- lymph node metastasis
- patient reported