Abstract 1017: Causal attribution in Korean cancer patients who underwent genetic testing: What caused my cancer?
Authors: Min-Chae Kang, Mi-Ae Jang, Sang-Yoon Park, So-Youn Jung, Seeyoun Lee, Jun-Kyu Kim, Boyoung Park, Sun-Young Kong
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Introduction: Perception of patient’s causal attribution is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies and improving overall health management approaches. Causal attributions of cancer patients have been well investigated in Western populations, while relatively few studies have conducted on East Asian populations. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of causal attributions among Korean cancer patients who underwent genetic testing. Methods: Patients who met the criteria of hereditary cancer underwent germline genetic testing were recruited at the National Cancer Center in Korea between July 2023 and October 2024 (CRIS No. KCT0009460). Causal attributions were assessed through an open-ended item included in the Korean version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ-K): “Please list in rank-order the three most important factors that you believe caused your illness.” Responses were considered valid if they answered more than once in the three factors. Results: Of the 958 cancer patients analyzed (97.9% female; mean age±SD, 52.7±9.9 years), breast cancer (531, 55.4%), ovarian cancer (390, 40.7%), other types of cancer (51, 5.3%), and multiple organ cancers (80, 8.4%) were included. First cancer diagnosis age less than the age of 40 were 194 (20.3%) patients and family history of cancer within second-degree relatives were observed in 748 (78.1%) patients. Their genetic testing results frequency were as following: pathogenic variants (PV), 196 (20.5%); variants of uncertain significance (VUS), 357 (37.3%); benign variants (BV), 405 (42.3%). The top five perceived risk factors were stress (718, 74.9%), dietary habits (385, 40.2%), genetics or family history (177, 18.5%), lack of weight management (167, 17.4%), and sleep habits (152, 15.9%). In the PV group, genetics or family history was reported more frequently compared to the VUS and BV groups (39.3% vs. 13.1%; p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion: Korean cancer patients tended to overattribute stress as a cause of cancer than Western population, and this tendency was similar in PV group. Additionally, 10 respondents attributed their cancer to COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccination, reflecting the influence of health anxieties during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The association between clinical and demographic characteristics and causal attributions will be analyzed. This work was supported by the grant of the Korean Cancer Survivors Healthcare R&amp;D Project through the National Cancer Center, funded by the Ministry of Health &amp; Welfare, Republic of Korea (Grant No. RS-2023-CC139201). Citation Format: Min-Chae Kang, Mi-Ae Jang, Sang-Yoon Park, So-Youn Jung, Seeyoun Lee, Jun-Kyu Kim, Boyoung Park, Sun-Young Kong. Causal attribution in Korean cancer patients who underwent genetic testing: What caused my cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 1017.