Gail model risk assessment and risk perceptions.

Patients can benefit from accessible breast cancer risk information. The Gail model is a well-known means of providing risk information to patients and for guiding clinical decisions. Risk presentation often includes 5-year and life-time percent chances for a woman to develop breast cancer. How do women perceive their risks after Gail model risk assessment? This exploratory study used a randomized clinical trial design to address this question among women not previously selected for breast cancer risk. Results suggest a brief risk assessment intervention changes quantitative and comparative risk perceptions and improves accuracy. This study improves our understanding of risk perceptions by evaluating an intervention in a population not previously selected for high-risk status and measuring perceptions in a variety of formats.