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Knowledge and perceptions of familial and genetic risks for breast cancer risk in adolescent girls

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Abstract

Evidence suggests early events might modify adult breast cancer risk and many adolescents learn of familial and genetic risks for breast cancer. Little is known about how adolescent girls understand and respond to breast cancer risk. Semi-structured interviews with 11–19 year-old girls at high-risk and population-risk for breast cancer evaluated knowledge and perceptions of breast cancer risk and risk modification. Framework analysis and descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze open-ended responses. Risk group and age differences were evaluated by Fisher’s exact and McNemar’s tests. Fifty-four girls (86 % of invited), 35 high-risk (65 %), and 19 population-risk (35 %) completed interviews. The most frequently reported risk for breast cancer was family history/hereditary predisposition (66 %). Only 17 % of girls were aware of BRCA1/2 genes. The majority (76 %) of high-risk girls perceive themselves to be at increased risk for breast cancer, compared to 22 % of population-risk girls (p = 0.001). Half of girls reported that women can get breast cancer before 20-years-old. The majority believe there are things women (70 %) and girls (67 %) can do to prevent breast cancer. Mother was the most frequently reported source of information for breast cancer among both high-risk (97 %) and population-risk (89 %) girls. In this study, many high-risk girls perceive themselves to be at increased risk for breast cancer, and many girls believe that breast cancer can occur in teens. Yet, most girls believe there are things women and girls can do to prevent breast cancer. Research evaluating the impact of awareness and perceptions of breast cancer risk on psychosocial, health, and risk behaviors is needed to develop strategies to optimize responses to cancer risk.

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Acknowledgments

American Cancer Society, Mentored Research Scholar Award (MRSG 07-014-01-CPPB). Support was also provided by NIH grant P30 CA006927 and the Fox Chase Cancer Center Keystone Program in Personalized Risk and Prevention.

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There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3 West Perelman Center 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Angela R. Bradbury, Colleen B. Sands, Rebecca Shorter & Patrick Sicilia

  2. Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Angela R. Bradbury

  3. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Linda Patrick-Miller

  4. Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health, The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Linda Patrick-Miller

  5. Biostatistics Facility, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, USA

    Brian L. Egleston

  6. Division of Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Lisa A. Schwartz

  7. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

    Cynthia W. Moore & Paula Rauch

  8. The Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Children’s National Medical Center, Children’s Research Institute, Center for Clinical and Community Research, Washington, USA

    Lisa Tuchman

  9. Department of Clinical Genetics, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, USA

    Shreya Malhotra, Brianne Rowan, Stephanie Van Decker, Helen Schmidheiser, Lisa Bealin & Mary B. Daly

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  1. Angela R. Bradbury
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Correspondence to Angela R. Bradbury.

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Bradbury, A.R., Patrick-Miller, L., Egleston, B.L. et al. Knowledge and perceptions of familial and genetic risks for breast cancer risk in adolescent girls. Breast Cancer Res Treat 136, 749–757 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-012-2254-7

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