Breast Cancer Risk Communication version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Communicating personalised 10-year breast cancer risk to women in the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP)
IRAS ID
166171
Contact name
Louise S Gorman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital of South Manchetser
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The NIHR funded programme grant, Predicting Risk of Cancer at Screening (PROCAS) has validated an algorithm to predict risk of breast cancer in individual women (Tyrer-Cuzick [T-C]) and is ready to provide 10-year risk estimates to 54,197 women in the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP). Given this, it is imperative to develop and test the best way to communicate this risk.
This risk information will be partly based on genetic tests for some women (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]), to allow a comparison of the specific issues in communicating genetically based test results, as well as the more general issue of communicating personalised risk information.
Specifically, this study proposes to examine the impact of two different types of risk feedback; (a) risk calculated from T-C plus breast density versus (b) risk incorporating SNPs into the T-C density model, related to (c) women not receiving personalised risk information, across four risk categories: high risk (10 year risk =8%), above average r (10 year risk 5-7.99%), average risk (10 year risk 2-4.99%), and below average risk (10 year risk <2%).
Specific objectives include:
1. Co-designing with women from the PROCAS study letters which provide their individual 10-year breast cancer risk estimates and an accompanying leaflet outlining the range of prevention/or additional screening available to women across four different risk categories.
2. Assessing the potential benefits of communicating breast cancer risk in this way, in terms of optimising understanding, satisfaction with risk information, informed choices about additional screening and prevention with risk reducing drugs, and improvements in risk reducing lifestyle behaviour.
3. Assessing the potential harms of communicating risk in this way, in terms of increasing anxiety and cancer worry, especially in women identified at higher risk; as well as increasing false reassurance resulting in decrements in risk reducing lifestyle behaviours, especially in women at lower risk.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1445
Date of REC Opinion
15 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion