Challenges in recruiting Mexican women for cancer genetics research

Hispanic women often have low participation rates in cancer genetics research. Additionally, Hispanic sub-ethnicities may have varying accrual rates based on unique cultural factors. Hispanic women were recruited through flyers placed in the Tampa Bay Community to participate in an interview about knowledge of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The study goal was to recruit 20 women from each Hispanic sub-ethnicity: Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Cuban. This article reports on the difficulty in recruiting Mexican women. One hundred forty-three women called the study hotline to inquire about participation. Seventy-six callers were ineligible for the study. Thirty-four percent (n = 26) of ineligibles were Mexican women; within this group, 62% (n = 16) were unable to participate because they did not know the cancer site of their first degree relative. Inclusion criteria requiring knowledge of family history of cancer for behavioral research may be too stringent. The socio-cultural norms of Mexican families may not include discussions of cancer specifics. This study demonstrates Mexican women may have limited knowledge about their family history of cancer. Considerations of these knowledge limitations should be built into cancer genetics-related research. Referral criteria to assess the risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer by cancer genetics professionals are predicated on the patient providing details about cancer within multiple generations of family members, thus, posing a barrier for Mexican women who may have limited knowledge of their family history of cancer.