Spanish women with family
history need education about breast cancer
(Breast Cancer-March 1, 2004)
Spanish women need
interventions to increase their adherence to breast cancer screening.
According to recent research from Spain, "Women with a family history of
breast cancer (FHBC) are at increased risk
for developing this disease. In this study, we have investigated the
differences between two groups of women; those with family history of breast
cancer (n=42) and women at population risk (n=42) in a Spanish cohort.
Questionnaires assessed distress, perception of breast cancer risk,
screening behaviors, coping skills, personality, and quality of life."
"Neither group received genetic counseling before or after this study. Women
with FHBC overestimated their risk of developing breast cancer. They report
a subjective risk of developing breast cancer of 50%, with their actual
risk, using the risk tables elaborated by Claus et al. (Cancer 1994;73:643),
being only 15% (p<.05)," wrote F. Gil and colleagues, Catala Oncology
Institute, Psychooncology Unit.
"Discriminant function analysis revealed the patients' information about
breast cancer, worries about breast cancer, perception of risk based on
family history, perception of lifetime risk of breast cancer and quality of
life were the five
variables that distinguished between both groups. Only 34% of women in the
FHBC group performed monthly breast self-examination, 24% (10 subjects) had
never attended previously for clinical breast examination and 45% (19
subjects) had never undergone a mammogram," the researchers wrote.
"This group of women had a significantly lower level of general satisfaction
(p<.05), an indicator of Quality of Life. The results support the need for
developing psychological intervention for women with family history of
breast cancer in order to increase adherence to surveillance behaviors,
reduce distress, improve quality of life, and assure the earliest detection
of breast cancer," the researchers concluded.
Gil and colleagues published their study in Psychooncology (Perception of
breast cancer risk and surveillance behaviours of women with family history
of breast cancer: A brief report on a Spanish cohort. Psychooncol,
2003;12(8):821-827).
For additional information, contact F. Gil, Catala Oncology Institute,
Psychooncology Unit, Barcelona, Spain.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of
Oncology. This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from
staff and other reports.
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