The Feasibility of Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer Participating in Chemoprevention Trials

Abstract

There is significant interest in developing chemoprevention trials for women at high risk for breast cancer, yet it is not clear how acceptable these strategies are. Results of clinical trials with tamoxifen have demonstrated a reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in women at increased risk, but rates of participation in such trials have been lower than expected. No previous studies have assessed the attitudes of high-risk women toward participating in chemoprevention trials using drugs causing ovarian suppression. All women who had attended a large familial cancer clinic in Sydney, New South Wales, between 1994 and 2000 who were eligible for the Raloxifene and Zoladex Research study being piloted in the United Kingdom at the time were approached. Telephone interviews were conducted with the 35 high-risk women willing to participate in this study. Almost half the women surveyed expressed willingness to participate in a randomized trial, and slightly fewer women considered participating in a nonrandomized trial. The women who would consider participating were younger than those who would not. The most frequently mentioned reasons for interest in participating in trials were to aid research, help others, and learn more, which indicates that altruism may have played a significant part in the women's willingness to participate. Most women interviewed were participating in risk reduction and early detection strategies and expressed high interest in research screening tests. Given the interest in randomized trials and the fact that women at high risk for breast cancer consider the side effects as mainly acceptable, undertaking such trials may be worthwhile.

Key Words:

• Attitudes
• chemoprevention
• hereditary breast cancer