There is no decision to make: experiences and attitudes toward treatment-focused genetic testing among women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
OBJECTIVE
There is growing evidence that the BRCA mutation status of women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer may be used to make treatment recommendations in the future. This qualitative study aimed to assess women's attitudes and experiences toward treatment-focused genetic testing (TFGT).


METHODS
Women (N=22) with ovarian cancer who had either (i) advanced disease and had previously had TFGT (n=12) or (ii) had a recent ovarian cancer diagnosis and were asked about their hypothetical views of TFGT (n=10), were interviewed in-depth.


RESULTS
This study demonstrates that patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer found the concept of TFGT acceptable with the primary motivation for genetic testing being to increase their treatment options. Women reported that there was no decision to make about TFGT, and the advantages of TFGT were perceived to outweigh the disadvantages. Many women described elements of resilience and active coping, in the context of hypothetical and actual TFGT.


CONCLUSIONS
Resilience and active coping strategies are important factors that warrant investigation as potential moderators of psychological distress in future prospective studies exploring the optimal way of offering BRCA genetic testing to women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and to assess the impact of TFGT upon patients' survival, psychological distress, and quality of life.
Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. b.meiser@unsw.edu.au
B
B
Meiser
M
M
Gleeson
N
N
Kasparian
K
K
Barlow-Stewart
M
M
Ryan
K
K
Watts
D
D
Menon
G
G
Mitchell
K
K
Tucker
D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology