Socioeconomic status and quality of life of women with family history of breast cancer attending an oncogenetic counseling clinic – a comparison with general population

Abstract

Background. Women with high risk for breast cancer due to family history are offered genetic counseling and surveillance. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to characterize women at an oncogenetic counseling clinic in terms of socioeconomic status (SES) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) and to compare data with population based figures. Material and methods. All healthy women who had ever visited the Oncogenetic clinic, Department of Oncology, Sodersjukhuset, 1998–2004 were eligible. A total of 306 women consented to participate (82.5%). SES data were compared with official data for all women (n=277 783), in the same age, living in the same geographical area at the time the study was performed. HRQOL data (SF-36) were compared with Swedish normative data. Results. Significantly more women in the study group were cohabiting (74.2 vs. 43.8%), had the highest education level, (56.7 vs. 39.6%) and had the highest household income (36.9 vs. 12.9%) as compared to the reference population in the same catchment area. Study subjects report significant lower levels of HRQOL for subscales related to mental health and for general health compared to normative data, but similar levels on HRQOL subscales related to physical health. Discussion. Attendees at the oncogenetic clinic appears to have higher socioeconomic status and lower quality of life as compared to women living in the same area, although the genetic predisposition for breast cancer is considered to be evenly distributed in the population. Thus, efforts to reach women in lower socioeconomic groups should be elaborated.