Young women perceptions towards genetic testing of breast cancer

• Published in: Biology and medicine Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 91
• Main Authors: Naggar, Redhwan A. Al, Osman, Muhamed T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: HATASO Enterprises, LLC 01.01.2013
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Cancer; Diagnosis; Genetic aspects; Genetic screening; Psychological aspects; Malaysia
• ISSN: 0974-8369; 0974-8369

The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of young women towards genetic testing for breast cancer. An in-depth interview was conducted among 26 young women who were chosen randomly from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (FHLS), Management and Science University (MSU), Shah Alam, Malaysia. Writing the answers of the participants was used with participant permission to make notes about her answer and the interview took approximately 40-60 minutes. The majority of the study participants (85%) knew about the genetic test of breast cancer. Regarding the source of the information, 8 (30.8%) reported that they knew about the genetic test of breast cancer from the internet, followed by 7 (26.9%) from lecturer, 4 (15.4%) from textbooks, 3 (11.5%) from newspapers, 2 (7.6%) from magazines, and 1 (3.8%) from her friend. Most of the participants 23 (88.5%) mentioned that they would introduce the genetic test of the breast cancer to their families and friends. However, 3 (11.5%) mentioned that they would not recommend breast cancer genetic test to their families and friends. In conclusion, majority of participants knew about the genetic test of breast cancer. The majority of the young women were willing to perform breast cancer genetic test because they were concerned about their health, considering the genetic test of the breast cancer as a prevention measure, positive family history of breast cancer and for early detection. About quarter of participants reported that they would not perform any genetic test in the future because of the cost of the test, no family history of breast cancer, knowing the future diseases would make the life miserable, impact of the genetic test on quality of life, and the test had not been recognized yet. Keywords: Perceptions; young women; genetic testing; breast cancer.