title: Effects of genetic consultation on perception of a family risk of breast/ovarian cancer and determinants of inaccurate perception after the consultation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cancer genetic consultations on women's perception of their family risk of breast/ovarian cancer, and to determine which factors were associated with an inaccurate perception after the consultation. A multicenter prospective survey was carried out on women (n = 397) attending cancer genetic clinics in France for the first time, in which the perceived family risk was measured both before and after the consultation, using self-administered questionnaires. The effects of the consultation on risk perception were significant among low (P <.001) and moderate risk women (P <.05). However, after the consultation, 76.3% of the "low"-risk women did not perceive their family as "low"-risk families, and 21.9% of the moderate-risk women were still definitely sure there was a genetic risk running in their family. The consultation did not affect the family risk perception of the high risk women (n = 171): the risk was thought to be very high both before (87.7%) and after (89.5%) the consultation (NS); however 10.5% of this group still perceived their family as being unlikely to be at risk after the consultation. In the low- and moderate-risk groups after multivariate adjustment, the inaccurate perceptions varied, depending on the clinics and on the psychosocial context of the consultation: they increased when the consultee was personally affected by cancer, and decreased when the consultee had a health occupation. Cancer genetic consultations had only marginal effects on the perception of family risk on the whole, although they were significant in the case of low- and moderate-risk women. The question arises as to whether a more comprehensive approach should be implemented and how to go about providing efficient cancer risk information in the context of health care systems.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Social Sciences Unit (INSERM U379), Institut Paoli-Calmettes, 232 Bd Ste Marguerite, 13273 Marseille cedex 09, France.
authors.forename: Laetitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huiart
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eisinger
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stoppa-Lyonnet
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lasset
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noguès
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vennin
authors.forename: Hagay
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sobol
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Julian-Reynier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling / Q000523:psychology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors