Abstract
The localisation of the two breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 made possible the use of mutation detection as a susceptibility test for individuals who wish to learn whether they carry a risk-conferring mutation. Several studies have assessed attitudes to genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility, most of which involved either community samples or women with just one first-degree relative with breast cancer. The objective of our study was to assess attitudes to genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility in a large sample of women at high risk of developing hereditary breast cancer on the basis of family history. The majority of women included in our sample (80%) had a family history consistent with a dominantly inherited predisposition to breast cancer (lifetime risk of 1 in 4 to 1 in 2), and the remainder (20%) was at moderately increased risk of developing breast cancer (lifetime risk of 1 in 8 to 1 in 4).