Know Your Risk: Assessment at Screening for Breast Cancer – Pilot Study

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in the U.S. and the primary prevention of this disease is a major public health issue. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other professional organizations recommend that clinicians discuss chemoprevention with high-risk women. Breast cancer chemoprevention with anti-estrogens, such as tamoxifen, raloxifene, exemestane, and anastrozole, is under-utilized, despite several randomized controlled trials demonstrating a 40-65% decrease in breast cancer incidence among high-risk women. Compounding this underutilization is the fact that a large proportion of women may be unaware of their high-risk status due to the investigators inability to adequately screen them in the primary care setting. Further research is needed to determine how knowledge about breast cancer, actual/perceived risk, and risks/benefits of chemoprevention are best communicated to women in order to promote breast cancer prevention strategies.

This study assesses risk communication and shared decision-making in patient-clinician dyads by administering validated measures at baseline, after interacting with the tools prior to the clinic visit, and after the clinical visit (quantitative analysis); and by using observer-based methods of audio-tape recordings of their clinical encounters (qualitative analysis).

The investigator hypothesizes that combining a patient-centered decision aid with a physician-centered decision support tool integrated into clinic workflow will improve accuracy of breast cancer risk perception, facilitate referrals for specialized risk counseling, and increase chemoprevention uptake.