Background: Limited evidence exists about how to communicate breast density-informed breast cancer risk to women at elevated risk to motivate cancer prevention.
Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating a web-based intervention incorporating personalized breast cancer risk, information on chemoprevention, and values clarification on chemoprevention uptake vs active control. Eligible women aged 40-69 years with normal mammograms and elevated 5-year breast cancer risk were recruited from Kaiser Permanente Washington from February 2017 to May 2018. Chemoprevention uptake was measured as any prescription for raloxifene or tamoxifen within 12 months from baseline in electronic health record pharmacy data. Secondary outcomes included breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), mammography use, self-reported distress, and communication with providers. We calculated unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) using logistic regression models and mean differences using analysis of covariance models with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with generalized estimating equations.
Results: We randomly assigned 995 women to the intervention arm (n = 492) or control arm (n = 503). The intervention (vs control) had no effect on chemoprevention uptake (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.07 to 16.62). The intervention increased breast MRI use (OR = 5.65, 95% CI = 1.61 to 19.74) while maintaining annual mammography (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.75 to 1.28). Women in the intervention (vs control) arm had 5.67-times higher odds of having discussed chemoprevention or breast MRI with provider by 6 weeks (OR = 5.67, 95% CI = 2.47 to 13.03) and 2.36-times higher odds by 12 months (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.65 to 3.37). No measurable differences in distress were detected.
Conclusions: A web-based, patient-level intervention activated women at elevated 5-year breast cancer risk to engage in clinical discussions about chemoprevention, but uptake remained low.
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press.