Breast cancer attitudes, knowledge, and screening behavior in women with and without a family history of breast cancer.

Women volunteers with or without a first-degree relative with breast cancer (FDR) were compared on several measures. Relative to the comparison group, women in the FDR group had more negative attitudes about breast cancer (including more anxiety about breast cancer), viewed their risk for getting breast cancer as greater (although they underestimated the actual risk), and were more likely to engage in appropriate screening behavior. A high percentage of women in both groups stated that they would want to have a genetic test for breast cancer if it were generally available.