Breast cancer genetic testing awareness, attitudes and intentions of Latinas living in the US-Mexico border: A qualitative study

Genetic testing for breast cancer may facilitate better-informed decisions regarding cancer prevention, risk reduction, more effective early detection, and better determination of risk for family members. Despite these potential benefits, significant portions of the population—particularly Latinas—lack awareness of genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility. Latinas comprise less than 4% of women undergoing BRCA genetic testing. To uncover reasons for Latinas' low testing participation, this study explores the awareness, attitudes, and behavioral intentions to undergo genetic testing among average-risk Latinas along the Texas-Mexico border. Eight focus groups were conducted with 58 Latinas ages 19-69. Participants mostly had less than a high-school education (43%), spoke primarily Spanish (52%), were of Mexican-American origin (90%) and had a family income of $20,000 or less (54%). Focus groups found that most participants had positive attitudes and strong interest in genetic testing, yet lacked general awareness and knowledge about genetic testing, its risks, benefits, and limitations. This juxtaposition warrants the delivery of culturally adapted risk information to increase and ensure Latinas' understanding of testing during their decision-making process. Key Latino values—religiosity, importance of family and the influential role of health care providers in health decisions—also were identified as considerations for designing interventions targeting this specific group. Further research is needed to identify effective ways to communicate genetic risk susceptibility information to Latinas to help them make informed testing decisions.