Returning genetic risk information for hereditary cancers to participants in a population-based cohort study in Japan

Large-scale population cohort studies that collect genomic information are tasked with returning an assessment of genetic risk for hereditary cancers to participants. While several studies have applied to return identified genetic risks to participants, comprehensive surveys of participants’ understanding, feelings, and behaviors toward cancer risk remain to be conducted. Here, we report our experience and surveys of returning genetic risks to 100 carriers of pathogenic variants for hereditary cancers identified through whole genome sequencing of 50 000 individuals from the Tohoku Medical Megabank project, a population cohort study. The participants were carriers of pathogenic variants associated with either hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (n = 79, median age=41) or Lynch syndrome (n = 21, median age=62). Of these, 28% and 38% had a history of cancer, respectively. We provided information on cancer risk, heritability, and clinical actionability to the participants in person. The comprehension assessment revealed that the information was better understood by younger (under 60 years) females than by older males. Scores on the cancer worry scale were positively related to cancer experiences and general psychological distress. Seventy-one participants were followed up at Tohoku University Hospital; six females underwent risk-reducing surgery triggered by study participation and three were newly diagnosed with cancer during surveillance. Among first-degree relatives of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer carriers, participants most commonly shared the information with daughters. This study showed the benefits of returning genetic risks to the general population and will provide insights into returning genetic risks to asymptomatic pathogenic variant carriers in both clinical and research settings.