Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (
PGD) allows couples to avoid having a child with an inherited condition, potentially reducing
cancer burden in families with a hereditary
cancer predisposition. This study investigated and compared awareness and acceptance of
PGD among patients with different
hereditary cancer syndromes. Questionnaires were mailed to 984 adults with hereditary breast and
ovarian cancer,
Lynch syndrome,
familial adenomatous polyposis, or
multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 or 2. Associations between clinical, demographic, and psychosocial factors and awareness and acceptance of
PGD were examined. Of 370 respondents (38 % return rate), 28 % felt their syndrome impacted family planning, 24 % were aware of
PGD, 72 % felt that
PGD should be offered, 43 % would consider using
PGD, and 29 % were uncertain. Family experience and syndrome-specific characteristics, such as disease severity, quality of life and availability of medical interventions as well as gender, family planning stage, and religiosity impact perceptions of the acceptability of
PGD, though a high level of uncertainty exists. Hereditary
cancer patients lack awareness of
PGD despite feeling that
PGD should be offered, highlighting the need for education on this topic. While we found attitudes about the acceptability of
PGD to be generally similar to those reported in the literature and of genetics and ethics experts, we observed similarities and differences between syndromes that provide insight into why some hereditary
cancer patients may find
PGD more acceptable than others.