CANCER GENETIC CLINICS - WHY DO WOMEN WHO ALREADY HAVE CANCER ATTEND

Cancer patients attend oncogenetic clinics so that the existence of a genetic risk can be checked and the relatives informed. The aim of thi s study was to describe the expectations of cancer patients about gene tic counselling and their beliefs about the aetiology of their disease . A survey based on self-administered questionnaires before and after the consultation was carried out on 115 women with breast/ovarian canc er who attended one of the six French participating clinics. In 59 cas es (51)%, the consultees' expectations focused on the preventive optio ns available and in 86 cases (75%) on their offspring; 87 (76%) found the consultation informative. On average, the women rated heredity and diet as lower risk factors (P < 0.05) after the consultation than bef ore. Heredity, stress and the environment were thought to be more deci sive than diet, smoking and alcohol. 34 patients who seemed unlikely t o have a genetic risk in the consultant's opinion thought heredity to be less relevant (P < 0.05) after the consultation than before. At the time of the survey, cancer patients accounted for at least half of th e consultees attending oncogenetic clinics in France. They need to hav e the clinical specificities of their disease and its medical manageme nt explained. They attend mainly for their offspring's sake, whereas h ealthy clients attend for their own sake. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevi er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.