New research explores how the way risk information is presented can influence a person’s willingness to undergo preventive surgeries like risk-reducing mastectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy in those with a BRCA gene mutation. The study found that presenting breast cancer risk as a visual graphic led to a higher intention to get a preventive mastectomy, compared to just seeing the numerical risk. However, the presentation format did not significantly impact the choice to undergo preventive ovarian cancer surgery. This suggests the visual communication of cancer risks could be an important tool to support informed medical decision-making for those at high genetic risk.
Visualizing Cancer Risks for Better Decisions
Making tough decisions about preventive cancer surgeries can be challenging, especially when the risks and benefits are complex. A new study published in Scientific Reports aimed to explore how the way this risk information is presented could impact a person’s willingness to undergo these life-changing procedures.
The researchers recruited 471 healthy women in South Korea to participate in a hypothetical scenario. They were told to imagine they had tested positive for a harmful BRCA gene mutation, which significantly increases the lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
First, the participants were given the numerical lifetime risks: 44% for ovarian cancer and 72% for breast cancer. They were then asked if they would choose to have risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes, or risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) to have their breasts removed.
The Power of Visual Risk Communication
After sharing their initial decisions, the participants were shown the same cancer risks, but this time in a visual format – a grid of 100 icons representing the chances of developing cancer. When the breast cancer risk was presented graphically, the percentage of women willing to have a preventive mastectomy increased from 30.4% to 38.6%.
However, the visual display did not significantly impact the choice to have preventive ovarian cancer surgery. The researchers suggest this may be because the 44% ovarian cancer risk shown in the graphic was below the 57.1% threshold that participants said they would consider for RRSO.
Tailoring Risk Communication for Better Decisions
These findings indicate that the format used to communicate cancer risks could be an important factor in supporting informed medical decision-making for those at high genetic risk. Visual aids like icon arrays may be particularly helpful when the risks are quite high, as they can make the magnitude of the threat more tangible.
At the same time, the study highlights that the impact of visual risk communication may depend on the specific risk levels involved. For decisions where the risks are perceived to be already high enough to warrant action, numerical information alone may be sufficient.
Going forward, the researchers suggest exploring even more diverse visual formats, like larger icon grids, to see how they influence perceptions and choices around cancer prevention. Tailoring risk communication to the individual’s specific situation could be key to empowering them to make the best decisions for their health.
Author credit: This article is based on research by Yoon-Jung Choi, Younju Park, Boyoung Park, Heejung Chae, So-Youn Jung, Kum Hei Ryu, Myong Cheol Lim, Soo Jin Park, Yoon Jung Chang, Sun-Young Kong.
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