Changes in Skin Cancer-Related Behaviors, Distress, and Beliefs in Response to Receipt of Low- to Moderate-Penetrance Genetic Test Results for Skin Cancer Risk

Background. Little is known about the impact of low- to moderate-penetrance genetic testing for skin cancer, which is a promising approach to skin cancer prevention. Methods. To address this deficit, we conducted an analysis comparing changes in skin cancer-related behaviors, distress, and beliefs measured at a baseline and twice after the receipt of skin cancer precision prevention materials containing MC1R risk feedback (higher or average risk) among 568 non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 463 Hispanic participants. Results. Regression analyses identified decreased average weekend hours in the sun (β = -0.25; 95% CI, -0.46-[-0.04]) and increased average skin cancer worry (β = 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.18) among higher-risk NHW participants at the first but not second follow-up. On average, higher-risk NHW and Hispanic participants reported a persistent increased risk of developing skin cancer compared with similar others (β = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.33, 0.65; β = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.17, 0.67, respectively). Conclusions.MC1R genetic testing resulted in durable elevated skin cancer risk perceptions and shorter-term behavior changes among higher-risk individuals. Although higher-risk participants reported slight heightened worry at the first follow-up, the overall levels of skin cancer-related distress were low. The lack of sustained behavioral changes highlights the need for intervention reinforcement in precision prevention approaches to reduce cancer risk.