Family Matters: Genetic Testing

Reported March 20, 2008

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Family discussions about breast cancer history have a significant impact on attitudes and knowledge about genetic counseling and testing for women at risk, no matter what her race.

Presented at the American Society for Preventive Oncology meeting in Bethesda, Md., the preliminary study followed-up on prior research showing black women participate less often in genetic counseling and genetic testing than Caucasian women. Black women are often diagnosed in later stages of the disease and are therefore more likely to die from it.
 

“It’s important to understand the many reasons for these differences so we can better address them,” Kristi D. Graves, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in the Cancer Control program at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington D.C., was quoted as saying.

“We didn’t find a statistical difference in knowledge or attitudes between African Americans and Caucasians,” Dr. Graves said. “We did observe a difference, however, among women who said their families discussed their cancer history versus those families who didn’t discuss cancer.” Researchers report they also found the more family members they talked to, the greater their knowledge.

Dr. Graves says she intends to examine whether women in this study decide to take part in genetic counseling and testing after getting educational materials.

SOURCE: Presented at the American Society for Preventive Oncology’s 32nd Annual Meeting, Bethesda, Md., March 16-18, 2008