Psychosocial, attitudinal, and demographic correlates of cancer-related germline genetic testing in the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey.

The study objective was to examine bivariate and multivariate associations among worry, perceptions, attitudes, sociodemographics, and uptake of cancer-related germline genetic testing. We used data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (cycle 5.1), administered (January-May 2017) to a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized adults (n = 3285). Those who had "heard about genetic tests that determine how a disease can be treated" had a higher likelihood of Lynch syndrome and BRCA1/2 testing (aRR = 2.57, p < 0.01; aRR = 3.23, p < 0.04). Attitudinal and psychosocial variables were not associated with uptake. Future research should explore ways to educate the public about the potential use of genetics in treatment decision-making.