Impact of Genetic Counseling in Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer in Italy.
As the impact of breast cancer (BC) risk assessment in asymptomatic women with a family history of BC had never been explored in Italy, we performed a study on a retrospective series of women who had undergone BC risk assessment. To this aim, a semi-structured telephone interview was administered to 82 women. Most participants considered the information received as clear (96.2 %) and helpful (76.8 %). Thirty-eight (46.3 %) stated that their perceived risk of BC had changed after the counseling: for 40.2 % it had decreased, for 6.1 % increased; however, women highly overestimating their risk at the baseline (≥ 4-fold) failed to show improvements in risk perception accuracy. Sixty-six women (80.5 %) stated they had followed the recommended surveillance, while 19.5 % had not, mainly due to difficulties in arranging examinations. Most women (89.0 %) had shared the information with their relatives, with 57.3 % reporting other family members had undertaken the recommended surveillance. BC risk assessment was associated with high rates of satisfaction and had a favorable impact on risk perception in a subgroup of women. The impact on surveillance adhesion extended to relatives. Organized programs for identification and surveillance may help identify a larger fraction of at-risk women and overcome the reported difficulties in arranging surveillance.
Unit of Medical Genetics, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Building 11 via Massarenti, 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Lea
L
Godino
Modena Cancer Center, Modena, Italy.
Elisabetta
E
Razzaboni
Unit of Medical Genetics, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Building 11 via Massarenti, 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Margherita
M
Bianconi
Unit of Medical Genetics, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Building 11 via Massarenti, 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy. daniela.turchetti@unibo.it.
Daniela
D
Turchetti
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment
Breast cancer; Family history; Genetic counseling; Risk assessment