OBJECTIVE: To better understand women's knowledge and perceptions of breast cancer prevention medications and determine if a topical administration of these medications would increase acceptability.

METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with healthy women identified through the breast center of a single institution. An experienced moderator led participants through a discussion of breast cancer risk perceptions, knowledge of and concerns about risk reduction medications, and their views of a skin application of risk reducing medication. Participants provided sociodemographic information, breast cancer risk factors, and prior physician recommendations to take risk-reducing medicines. Trained research personnel examined all qualitative results systematically. Participants' breast cancer risk was estimated using the Gail Model.

RESULTS: Four focus groups (N=32) were conducted. Most participants had at least a college degree (78.2%) and were of either European (50%) or African ancestry (31%). The majority (72%) were at elevated risk for breast cancer, just over half of these women perceived themselves to be at higher than average risk. Only 19% of participants had prior knowledge of preventive medications. Women who perceived themselves to be at high risk were more likely to know about preventive medications than those who did not, 38% vs 0% respectively. Over 90% of the focus group participants stated that they would prefer a topical application of a preventive medication to a pill if their physician advised them to take preventive medication.

CONCLUSION: Awareness of preventive medications was low even in a highly educated sample of high-risk women. If given a choice in the route of administration of chemoprevention, nine out of ten women preferred a gel to a pill. Future work should focus on demonstrating a reduction in side effects of topical over oral medications and raising awareness of chemopreventive options for breast cancer to increase acceptance of preventive medications.

Citation Format: Karavites LC, Allu S, Khan SA, Kaiser K. Awareness and acceptability of skin application of preventive medications for breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-12-13.