[Self-perceived risk of cancer in Spain: a cross-sectional study]

To identify the variables that influence the most the self-perceived risk of developing cancer and to explore the main reasons associated with the degree of self-perceived risk.

A cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire designed ad hoc, between February and September 2020. A total of 4769 responses were collected by telephone from men and women over 18 years of age residing in Spain, with a response rate of 29.6%. A descriptive analysis and a binary logistic regression model were performed using the self-perceived risk of developing cancer as the dependent variable.

More than 60% of the participating population believe they have a very high or high risk of being diagnosed at some point in their lives. Having experienced cancer either firsthand or through close family members substantially increased the probability of having a very high or high risk of developing the disease (aOR: 3.243, 95% CI: 2.284-4.605, and aOR: 3.950, 95%CI: 3.316-4.706, respectively). In addition, other sociodemographic and attitudinal variables have been shown to influence the self-perceived risk of developing cancer.

Close experiences with cancer, either one's own or someone else's, have a significant impact on the higher perception of risk of suffering from the disease. Other variables related to lifestyle or sociodemographic profile that increase the probability that this perception is higher. Therefore, these findings highlight the importance of reinforcing public policies in the field of primary and secondary prevention in order to improve the perception of cancer risk in less aware people.