Motivations and barriers to pursue cancer genomic testing: A systematic review

ObjectivesSingle-gene testing is associated with psycho-social challenges for cancer patients. Genomic testing may amplify these. The aim of this study was to understand patients’ motivations and barriers to pursue cancer genomic testing, to enable healthcare providers to support their patients throughout the testing process and interpretation of test results.MethodsFive databases were searched for original peer reviewed research articles published between January 2001 and September 2018 addressing motivation for genomic cancer testing. QualSyst was used to assess quality.Results182 studies were identified and 17 were included for review. Studies were heterogenous. Both somatic and germline testing were included, and 14 studies used hypothetical scenarios. 3249 participants were analyzed, aged 18 to 94. Most were female and white. The most common diagnoses were breast, ovarian, lung and colorectal cancer. Interest in testing was high. Motivations included ability to predict cancer risk, inform disease management, benefit families, and understand cancer. Barriers included concerns about cost, privacy/confidentiality, clinical utility, and psychological harm.ConclusionsDespite concerns, consumers are interested in cancer genomic testing if it can provide actionable results for themselves and their families.Practice ImplicationsProviders must manage understanding and expectations of testing and translate genetic information into health-promoting behaviours.     

Validation of a test meal paradigm to experimentally manipulate meal-related fears: A registered report

Fear is central to conceptualizations of weight and shape-focused eating disorders. The current study will examine the reliability and validity of a test meal paradigm that varies perceptions of fat content to manipulate fear. Undergraduate women with elevated eating pathology (N = 96) will be randomized to one of three test meal conditions: two “low” fat yogurts, two “high” fat yogurts, or one “high” fat and one “low” fat yogurt. In actuality, all yogurts will have the same fat content. Supporting reliability, we hypothesize that self-reported fear and electrodermal activity (psychophysiological index of fear-related arousal) will exhibit good test–retest reliability over a 48-hr period in the “high” fat/“high” fat and “low” fat/“low” fat conditions. Supporting construct validity, self-reported fear and electrodermal activity will be elevated during the “high” versus “low” fat condition and responses to the “high" fat condition will correlate with fear of food, eating, and weight gain. Supporting discriminant validity, self-reported disgust and anger will be comparable in the “high” and “low” fat conditions and will exhibit weak correlations with trait measures of disgust and anger. This experimental paradigm will allow researchers to manipulate fear in order understand the mechanisms by which fear maintains eating pathology.