Cigarette smoking in women after BRCA1/2 genetic test disclosure: a 5-year follow-up study of the GENEPSO PS cohort

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to measure patients' smoking patterns for 5 years after BRCA1/2 test result disclosure.

Methods: A national cohort consisting of 621 French cancer-free women from families with BRCA1/2 mutations (mean age (SD): 40.5 years (11.5 years)) were included from December 1999 to January 2006, before disclosure of genetic test results, and followed for 5 years. They completed self-administered questionnaires about their cigarette smoking behaviors before receiving their test results (baseline) and 6, 12, 24, and 60 months after disclosure. Multivariate statistical analyses of the changes in participants' smoking behaviors were performed using a zero-inflated Poisson mixed model.

Results: Baseline smoking was found to depend on age, educational level, marital status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and cancer risk perception. The zero-inflated part of the model showed the occurrence of no significant changes in the percentage of smokers during the 5 years after disclosure of the BRCA1/2 test results; however, daily smoking among BRCA1/2 carriers decreased significantly compared with that of noncarriers (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.83; (95% confidence interval: 0.69-0.99); P = 0.04) after adjusting for baseline smoking behavior.

Conclusion: It would be worth investigating the possibility of counseling women during the genetic testing process about the multiple risk factors involved in cancer, such as genetic and lifestyle factors.