Mental Illness and BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing Intention Among Multiethnic Women Undergoing Screening Mammography.
Tarsha Jones, Katherine Freeman, Marra Ackerman and 5 others
PMID 31845917WHAT IT FOUND
After adjustment, depression, anxiety, and mental illness history were not associated with testing intention.
Still, 76% of women eligible for BRCA1/2 testing intended to have testing, but only 5% reported already having it.
Key findings
01Among 100 women, 76% intended BRCA1/2 genetic testing, and 5% reported already having been tested.
02In adjusted analysis, scores on depression and anxiety screens and patient-reported mental illness were not significantly associated with genetic testing intention.
03Younger age and less education remained significantly associated with genetic testing intention, including in a sensitivity analysis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Women were recruited from one institution, and the substudy had 100 evaluable women, mostly Hispanic, so the results may not apply to other settings or populations. The study measured intention, not completed genetic testing, so high intention does not show that women followed through. Only 5 women reported already having genetic testing, and this was not confirmed by medical records; they were counted in the intention group. Mental illness history was self-reported and not confirmed by clinical records, although validated depression and anxiety symptom scales were used. Women who joined the substudy differed from eligible women who did not join in education level and breast cancer risk perception. The study looked at BRCA1/2 testing intention only, while multigene panel testing is now the standard of care.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that depression or anxiety predicts intention to have BRCA1/2 testing. In adjusted analysis, mental health measures were not associated with intention. Do not treat intention as evidence that testing was completed; only 5% reported already having been tested.