Reliability and validity of the multidimensional impact of cancer risk assessment (MICRA) questionnaire: Japanese version

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a Multidimensional Impact of Cancer Risk Assessment questionnaire–Japanese version (MICRA-J) as an assessment of the psychosocial impact of genetic testing. The MICRA was translated into Japanese using standardized translation procedures. The reliability and validity of the MICRA-J were evaluated in individuals who underwent BRCA1/2 testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer diagnosis. The 72 respondents included patients with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (n = 20), BRCA1/2 negative (n = 35), variants of uncertain significance (VUS, n = 6), participants with cascade testing positive (n = 7), and participants with cascade testing negative (n = 4). Total MICRA-J scores were positively correlated with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores and negatively correlated with the 36-item short-form version 2 acute (SF-36v2 acute) scores (P < 0.05). The MICRA-J showed good internal consistency coefficients (α > 0.70). Furthermore, high test–retest correlations were obtained when the 64 participants responded to the MICRA-J twice within a short period (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.85). The MICRA-J Total score was higher in the groups with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant carriers than in the BRCA1/2 negative group, whereas the HADS and SF36v2 acute did not differ significantly. These results suggest that the reliability and validity of the MICRA-J have been established. The MICRA-J, similar to the MICRA in other languages, is considered a useful tool to specifically measure the psychosocial impact of genetic testing.