MEN IN BREAST-CANCER FAMILIES - A PRELIMINARY QUALITATIVE STUDY OF AWARENESS AND EXPERIENCE

In inherited forms of breast cancer, attention in clinical genetics se rvices has focused on women because they are most at risk of developin g cancer. Men at risk of transmitting a predisposing gene mutation are less likely to have a genetic test than the women in these families. This preliminary study investigates the perspective of the brothers of women with familial breast cancer and is based on qualitative analysi s of 22 semistructured interviews using an attenuated form of Grounded Theory. There is an awareness among these men (without having had gen etic counselling) that che breast cancer in their families is inherite d. Some of them harbour fear of developing cancer themselves and many are concerned that their daughters might develop breast cancer. Some a ppeared to use avoidance as a coping strategy. The men were very often excluded from family conversations about breast cancer. Implications for the provision of genetic counselling for these families are discus sed.