A 15,000-Patient Survey Looking at Breast Cancer Risk Perception

Jonathan D. Herman, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist at Hofstra North Shore - LIJ Medical School, discusses the findings from a survey looking at breast cancer risk perception.

The survey was handed out at 21 radiologists and gathered more than 15,000 responses. The survey collected information on patient demographics and patients' perception of breast cancer risk. The survey also collected information on risk factors, which were used to calculate each patient's actual risk.

Clinical Pearls

Herman hypothesized that 20-25% of patients would have an idea of their breast cancer risk, though in the end, only 9.4% of patients did.

• Greater than 15,000 patients from 21 radiologists on Long Island were surveyed
• It was hypothesized that 15-20% of patients would have an accurate idea of their breast cancer risk
• Only 9.4% of surveyed patients had an idea of their breast cancer risk