ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to understand the levels of knowledge about hereditary breast cancer and anxiety among patients with breast cancer and to identify the relationship between knowledge and anxiety. METHODS: The data were collected from 100 patients with breast cancer in Seoul in 2013. A 15-item hereditary breast cancer knowledge questionnaire and 20-item anxiety state questionnaire were used to measure knowledge and anxiety, respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, LSD post hoc tests, and Cronbach's α tests in SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: The mean score of knowledge was 8.34±3.17, indicating 0.56 when converted to 1. Knowledge was different by age, education, marital status, monthly family income, risk for hereditary breast cancer, and needs for genetic counseling. The mean score of anxiety was 46.05±10.53. There was positive correlation between knowledge and anxiety (r=.25, p=.014). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that oncology professionals need to provide genetic knowledge for early detection and prevention of secondary cancer to patients with breast cancer, while considering and relieving their emotional distress, such as anxiety.