JBCGenetics |

Original Article

Volume: 2 | Issue: 2 | Published: Jan 23, 2020 | Pages: 107 - 115 | DOI: 10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia

Authors: Lamia Alsubaie , Abdulrahman Alswaid , Omnia Abdulaty , Ahmed Alfares , Sara Gilvary

Authors

Lamia Alsubaie

King Abdullah International Medical Research Center/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Genetics Division King Abdullah Specialized Children&apos;s Hospital, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ORCID

Abdulrahman Alswaid

Omnia Abdulaty

Ahmed Alfares

College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Sara Gilvary

National Society of Genetic Counselors

Publication History

Received: July 09, 2019

Revised: September 19, 2019

Accepted: October 07, 2019

Published: January 23, 2020

Abstract

Background: To evaluate knowledge and attitude toward cancer genetic tests (CGT) and cancer genetic counseling for improving underdeveloped CGT services and to achieve a better understanding of how cancer genetic services are being perceived in the Saudi society. Methodology: An electronic survey was conducted targeting three different types of subjects; physicians, cancer patients, and public participants. Characteristics of the study population were summarized as frequencies, means, and standard deviations. The association between two categorical variables was evaluated by the Chisquare test and cross-tabulation. Multiple logistic regression analyses, using a backward stepwise elimination procedure, were performed to examine the potential impact of the variables. All the explanatory variables were calculated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (16.0) software program. Continuous variables were grouped into ordinal categories to facilitate inclusion in the multiple logistic regression analysis. Analysis of variance was used to measure knowledge scores with different independent variables. Results: The public cohort showed a higher knowledge score than the patient cohort. A willingness to undergo CGT correlated with high knowledge in the public cohort [r (n = 1,083) = 0.12, p < 0.001), but with positive family history in the patient cohort [r (n= 100) = 0.29, p < 0.01]. Attitudes toward CGT were not correlated with a fear of stigma or privacy in the public cohort. The majority of physicians reported an increase in the number of patients seeking CGT and agreed that testing should not be performed without counseling as they would refer to appropriate patients accordingly. Physicians self-reported significant levels of uncertainty regarding CGT, such as qualifications, attitudes toward CGT, and confounding factors. Conclusion: There is an overall positive attitude toward CGT in Saudi society. Public health actions are needed to enhance cancer genetic services for high-risk families.

Keywords: Cancer genetic tests, genetic counseling, Saudi Arabia, cancer genetic test knowledge, attitude

Pubmed Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary. Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia. JBC Genetics. 2020; 23 (January 2020): 107-115. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

Web Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary. Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia. https://www.jbcgenetics.com/articles/2181 [Access: April 27, 2025]. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary. Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia. JBC Genetics. (2020), [cited April 27, 2025]; 23 (January 2020): 107-115. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

Harvard Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary (2020) Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia. JBC Genetics, 23 (January 2020): 107-115. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

Chicago Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary. "Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia." 23 (2020), 107-115. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary. "Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia." 23.January 2020 (2020), 107-115. Print. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Lamia Alsubaie, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Omnia Abdulaty, Ahmed Alfares, Sara Gilvary (2020) Knowledge and attitude of physicians, cancer patients, and the public concerning cancer-related genetic tests in Saudi Arabia. , 23 (January 2020), 107-115. doi:10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1562670273