Breast cancer risk notification project

Breast cancer risk notification project

The Cancer Information Service (CIS) helps thousands of callers with questions about cancer every month through its 1-800-4-CANCER telephone service. This study aimed to evaluate whether providing individualized breast cancer risk information encouraged women to get regular screening. After first answering callers' questions, we asked women callers, ages 50 and over, who were not cancer patients, if they would be willing to answer some questions about their risk of breast cancer. These women were asked about: whether they had any worries about breast cancer; their perceptions about their risk for getting breast cancer; and whether they were getting breast cancer screening on time, and if not, what kept them from getting it. Half of the women then received information about their individual risk of breast cancer based on the answers they had given. Follow-up calls were then made to women a month later to determine if the women who received individualized breast cancer risk information felt better about getting regular breast cancer screening. The other half of the women was given information about their individual risk for breast cancer at this time.

Principal Investigator: Joan Bloom, Ph.D.

Collaborator: Sharon Davis, M.P.A. (NCCC)

Funding Source: California Breast Cancer Research Program