BRCA-Related Cancer Genetic Counseling is Indicated in Many Women Seeking Primary Care

Daniel J. Parente

doi:10.3122/jabfm.2020.06.190461

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Figure 1.
Analytic flow of survey responses. Numbers refer to the total number of surveys/patients involved in each step. Detailed explanation of these analyses are given in the Results section. Abbreviations: Fam Hx, family history; PHx, personal history; GC, genetic counseling.

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Table 1.

Demographics

Demographic	Count	Percent
Age (Years)
18 to 19	9	2.2
20 to 29	62	15.6
30 to 39	83	20.9
40 to 49	65	16.3
50 to 59	76	19.1
60 to 69	64	16.1
70 to 79	29	7.3
>79	9	2.2
Marital Status
Single	179	45.0
Married	137	34.5
Separated	5	1.2
Divorced	49	12.3
Widowed	26	6.5
Other	1	0.2
Race
American Indian or Alaska Native	2	0.5
Asian	10	2.5
Black or African American	155	39.0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	2	0.5
White	183	46.0
Other	37	9.3
Two or more races	5	1.2
Declined	3	0.7
Ethnicity
Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin	40	10.0
Not Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin	353	88.9
Declined	4	1.0
Insurance status
Private	245	61.7
Medicaid	46	11.6
Medicare	106	26.7

Demographic Profile of All 397 Non-Duplicate Survey Respondents.

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Table 2.

Frequency of Responses by Patient Category Including All 397 Non-Duplicate Respondents (“All”), Patients with a Positive Family History (+FHx) of Potentially BRCA-Related Malignancies and Patients with Positive Family History Who Also Have a Negative Personal History of Potentially BRCA-Related Malignancies (+FHx −PHx)

Question	All		+FHx		+FHx −PHx
Question	N	%	N	%	N	%
Total	397	100	168	100	145	100
1. Has anyone in your family had cancer of the breast, ovary, fallopian tube or peritoneum (abdominal lining)?
Yes	168	42	168	100	145	100
No	180	45	0	0	0	0
Don’t know	36	9	0	0	0	0
No answer	13	3	0	0	0	0
2. Have you had cancer of the breast, ovary, fallopian tube or peritoneum (abdominal lining)?
Yes	10	3	9	5	0	0
No	239	60	139	83	136	94
Don’t know	12	3	9	5	9	6
No answer	136	34	11	7	0	0
3. Have you ever had a genetic test to determine your risk of breast cancer?
Yes, my risk was normal	18	5	13	8	11	8
Yes, my risk was increased	2	1	2	1	1	1
Yes, but I do not know the result	5	1	4	2	3	2
No, I have not	207	52	124	74	118	81
I don’t know if I have been tested	16	4	9	5	9	6
No answer	149	38	16	10	3	2
4. Have you ever discussed your breast cancer risk with a genetic counselor?
Yes	10	3	9	5	7	5
No	208	52	125	74	115	79
Don’t know	7	2	5	3	4	3
No answer	172	43	29	17	19	13
5. Has anyone in your family had a genetic test for breast cancer risk?
Yes, but risk was normal	18	5	12	7	11	8
Yes, and risk was increased	7	2	6	4	5	3
Yes, but I do not know the result	11	3	9	5	7	5
No, they have not	96	24	52	31	47	32
I don’t know if anyone has been tested	94	24	59	35	54	37
No answer	171	43	30	18	21	14
6. Did any parent, child or sibling have breast cancer?
Yes	38	10	38	23	33	23
No	189	48	99	59	90	62
Don’t know	19	5	7	4	6	4
No answer	151	38	24	14	16	11
7. Did any parent, child or sibling have ovarian cancer?
Yes	23	6	23	14	16	11
No	197	50	110	65	103	71
Don’t know	27	7	13	8	11	8
No answer	150	38	22	13	15	10
8. Did any man in your family have breast cancer?
Yes	2	1	2	1	1	1
No	217	55	131	78	119	82
Don’t know	28	7	12	7	10	7
No answer	150	38	23	14	15	10
9. Did any woman in your family have both breast and ovarian cancer?
Yes	28	7	27	16	22	15
No	176	44	94	56	87	60
Don’t know	40	10	23	14	19	13
No answer	153	39	24	14	17	12
10. Did any woman in your family have breast cancer before age 50?
Yes	59	15	58	35	56	39
No	149	38	67	40	59	41
Don’t know	36	9	18	11	14	10
No answer	153	39	25	15	16	11
11. Did 2 or more relatives have breast and/or ovarian cancer?
Yes	55	14	54	32	47	32
No	149	38	69	41	65	45
Don’t know	41	10	21	13	16	11
No answer	152	38	24	14	17	12
12. Did 2 or more relatives have breast and/or bowel cancer?
Yes	30	8	30	18	25	17
No	156	39	78	46	73	50
Don’t know	53	13	32	19	28	19
No answer	158	40	28	17	19	13