An evaluation of knowledge about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer among Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans

Objective: Current outreach efforts and materials for Hispanic women regarding hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) are sparse and often designed without regard for differences among sub-ethnicities. The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge of HBOC among Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban women

Methods: Women, aged 18-65 with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer, were recruited from three counties in Florida using community-based methods. All questions were interviewer administered in Spanish or English. Knowledge was measured using an 11-item instrument developed by the National Center for Human Genome Research. Analysis of variance was performed to examine knowledge differences between Hispanic sub-ethnicities.

Results: Fifty-three women participated in the study; 16 Mexicans, 20 Puerto Ricans, and 17 Cubans. The majority of women (64.2%) were born outside the U.S. The percentage of correct responses on the knowledge instrument ranged from 9.4%-73.6% (median number of correct responses = 5). Knowledge scores did not significantly differ by Hispanic sub-group (p = 0.51). Interestingly, exploratory analysis revealed lower knowledge scores in women with a personal history of cancer (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Results illustrate low knowledge of HBOC regardless of Hispanic sub-ethnicity. While there is a need to educate Hispanic women in general about HBOC, special attention should be paid to those with a personal history of breast cancer. Larger studies are warranted to further examine differences in knowledge among Hispanic sub-ethnicity and the need for tailored materials.