Abstract
Introduction Women with a pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutation have a markedly increased lifetime risk of developing breast and/or ovarian
cancer. The current preventive treatment alternatives that are offered are an intensified
breast cancer screening programme and risk-reducing operations. Before deciding on
one option, medical and personal factors such as life situation and individual preferences
must be weighed carefully. Decision aids are used internationally to support BRCA1/2 mutation carriers during their decision-making process. In this study these are analysed
structurally for the first time and their applicability to the German context is examined.
Material and Methods A systematic literature search in five electronic databases and a manual search were
performed. The identified decision aids were evaluated with regard to formal criteria,
medical content and quality. The qualitative assessment used the criteria of the International
Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration (IPDASi v4.0), which examined various
dimensions (e.g., information, probabilities, values).
Results Twenty decision aids, which were published between 2003 and 2019 in Australia (n = 4),
the United Kingdom (n = 3), Canada (n = 2), the Netherlands (n = 2) and the USA (n = 9),
were included. Nine focus on BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and eleven include other risk groups. Eighteen include risk-reducing
operations as decision options, 14 list screening methods for breast and/or ovarian
cancer, and 13 describe the possibility of pharmacological prevention by means of
selective oestrogen receptor modulators or aromatase inhibitors. Nine of the 20 decision
aids meet fundamental quality criteria (IPDASi v4.0 qualification criteria).
Conclusion International decision aids can serve formally as a basis for a German decision aid
for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Some of them differ markedly in content from the recommendations
of German guidelines. Only a few achieve a high quality.
Key words
BRCA1
-
BRCA2
- decision aid - familial breast cancer - familial ovarian cancer