title: Short-term psychological impact of the BRCA1/2 test result in women with breast cancer according to their perceived probability of genetic predisposition to cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effect of BRCA1/2 gene test result on anxiety, depression, cancer-related thought intrusion or avoidance and perceived control over cancer risk was assessed in breast cancer (BC) patients, according to their perceived probability of genetic predisposition to cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and forty-three (89% response rate) women with BC completed questionnaires after an initial genetic counselling visit (T1), of which 180 (66%) completed questionnaires again after receiving the BRCA1/2 results (T2). The discrepancy between women's perceived probability of cancer genetic predisposition at T1 and the geneticist's computed estimates was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 74% of women received a negative uninformative (NU), 11% a positive BRCA1/2 and 15% an unclassified variant (UV) result. On hierarchical regression analysis, in women with a positive BRCA1/2 result (vs NU or UV), a lower perceived probability of cancer genetic predisposition than objective estimates at T1 predicted lower levels of anxiety at T2 (β=-0.28; P<0.01), whereas in women receiving a UV result (vs NU or positive BRCA1/2), a lower perceived probability of cancer genetic predisposition than objective estimates at T1 predicted higher levels of anxiety (β=0.20; P<0.01), depression (β=0.19; P<0.05) and intrusion (β=0.18; P<0.05) at T2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type of BRCA1/2 test result differently affects distress according to women's perceived probability of genetic predisposition before testing.
authors: Supportive Care Department, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France. anne.bredart@curie.net
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Brédart
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Kop
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Depauw
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Caron
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Sultan
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Leblond
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Fajac
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Buecher
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Gauthier-Villars
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Noguès
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Flahault
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Stoppa-Lyonnet
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dolbeault
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010465:Perception; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors