Abstract
IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is increasingly diagnosed in people under age 50. New US guidelines recommend screening initiation at age 45. Providing personalized risk for CRC using polygenic risk scores (PRS) may be an opportunity to engage this younger population in CRC screening. There is limited research on patient understanding of PRS results and use of PRS to inform CRC screening decisions. MethodsFrom May 2022 – June 2023, 20 Kaiser Permanente Colorado members aged 46-51 who had been offered CRC screening but had never completed it signed consent to provide a saliva sample for CRC PRS analysis. After receiving personalized PRS for CRC, participants completed a semi-structured interview regarding understanding of their PRS, perceived CRC risk, and intention to screen. Thematic analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti version 8. ResultsOf the 19 participants who successfully completed PRS-related testing and a semi-structured interview, 13 were female, 14 never smoked cigarettes, 6 were Hispanic and 13 were non-Hispanic White. One participant had high risk for CRC based on PRS results. Qualitative interviews showed participants’ understanding of their results, trust in PRS, perception of risk for CRC, plans to complete CRC screening, intent to share PRS with healthcare providers, and concerns about genetic results impacting health care. ConclusionQualitative analyses suggest that participants were interested in and understood their PRS results. Further study is needed to develop guidelines, effective calls-to-action, provider engagement, and health education materials on use of PRS for health decision-making.
Published Version
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