Written pretest information and germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant testing in unselected breast cancer patients:...

This study aimed to evaluate predictors of testing uptake among unselected breast cancer patients who were offered germline BRCA1/2 testing in a prospective study.

Pretest information was provided by a standardized invitation letter instead of in-person counseling. Data was abstracted from medical records. Using multivariate logistic regressions, predictors of testing uptake were analyzed.

The overall uptake of testing was 67% (539 of 805 patients). Low uptake rates were found for patients aged ≥80 years (33%), and patients born outside of Europe (37%). In adjusted analysis, age ≥80 years (odds ratio [OR] 0.10; P = 0.002), psychiatric disorders (OR 0.46; P = 0.006), occupation requiring at least 3 years of university or college education (OR 2.03; P = 0.003), and breast cancer or ovarian cancer in first-degree or second-degree relatives (OR 1.66; P = 0.02) were independently associated with uptake of BRCA1/2 testing. Somatic comorbidity in patients aged <70 years was associated with lower testing uptake.

Testing uptake varies across different subgroups according to patient-related factors that are readily available in the medical records. Knowledge about these factors enables health care professionals to identify patients who are less likely to pursue genetic testing.