Psychosocial Impact of BRCA Testing in Young Black Breast Cancer Survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Prior studies demonstrating minimal psychological consequences for women receiving genetic counseling/genetic testing (GC/GT) for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer rely on predominantly Caucasian women. We conducted a prospective follow-up of a subset of participants from a population-based study of Black breast cancer (BC) survivors receiving GC/GT for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

METHODS: Black women with invasive BC at age ≤50 years diagnosed between 2009-2012 were recruited through the Florida Cancer Registry. Participants (n=215, age M=44.7, SD=6.2) were offered telephone pre- and post-test GC; a subset completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables.

RESULTS: There were no baseline differences in cancer related distress, psychological distress, or quality of life between test result groups. Social well-being improved in women receiving negative results (p=.01), but no other outcomes demonstrated significant changes over time between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is among the first to demonstrate minimal negative psychosocial outcomes following GC/GT among young Black BC survivors, irrespective of test results.