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Pancreatic cancer risk counselling and screening: impact on perceived risk and psychological functioning

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Abstract

Individuals at increased risk for pancreatic cancer who undergo screening can experience psychological and emotional distress. The objective of this study is to determine whether individuals participating in a pancreatic cancer screening program experience disruptions in risk perception, cancer-related anxiety or emotional distress. A pretestposttest design was used to examine perceived risk and psychological functioning of individuals participating in a pancreatic cancer screening protocol. The screening protocol includes genetic counselling, transcutaneous abdominal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and blood collection and eligible participants included individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer or BRCA2 mutation carriers. At baseline, participants (n = 198) showed low to moderate levels of risk perception, pancreatic cancer-related anxiety, and general distress. Participants with familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) (n = 131) endorsed higher risk perception of pancreatic cancer than the BRCA2 carriers (n = 67) (perceived lifetime risk 42 vs. 15%), but did not differ on cancer worry or general distress prior to the first study appointment. From baseline to 3 months follow-up, no significant time or time by group interactions emerged on risk perception or general distress, but cancer worry decreased over time for the FPC group regardless of the number of affected relatives. Our findings indicate that participation in a pancreatic cancer screening program does not lead to a significant increase in risk perception, cancer worry, or general distress and that participants with high baseline levels of risk perception and distress may benefit from a more comprehensive risk assessment and psychological support.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Pancreatic Cancer Canada foundation (www.pancreaticcancercanada.ca) for their continued support of research into the early detection of pancreatic cancer, and the Pancreas Cancer Screening Study at Mount Sinai Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital. We also thank Kate Butler, Laura Mehedan and Jiahui Wong for their critical review on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Christine Maheu

  2. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Andrea Vodermaier

  3. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology-Grosshadern, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Andrea Vodermaier

  4. Familial GI Cancer Registry, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada

    Heidi Rothenmund, Steve Gallinger, Kara Semotiuk, Spring Holter & Saumea Thayalan

  5. Program of Psychosocial & Psychotherapy Research in Cancer Genetics, Division of Behavioral Sciences and Health, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada

    Paola Ardiles & Mary Jane Esplen

  6. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Mary Jane Esplen

  7. Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Mary Jane Esplen

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  1. Christine Maheu
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  2. Andrea Vodermaier
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Correspondence to Christine Maheu.

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Maheu, C., Vodermaier, A., Rothenmund, H. et al. Pancreatic cancer risk counselling and screening: impact on perceived risk and psychological functioning. Familial Cancer 9, 617–624 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-010-9354-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-010-9354-5

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