Simultaneous interdisciplinary counseling in German breast/ovarian cancer families: First experiences with patient perceptions, surveillance behaviorand acceptance of genetic testing

Simultaneous interdisciplinary counseling in German breast/ovarian cancer f amilies: first experiences with patient perceptions, surveillance behavior and acceptance of genetic testing: As part of a multicenter study supported by the German Mildred School foundation we have established an interdiscip linary counseling setting for members of breast and/or ovarian cancer famil ies. We offer simultaneous counseling by a team consisting of a geneticist, a gynecologist and a psycho-oncologist. Here we describe our counseling pr otocol and our first short-term experience with this Interdisciplinary appr oach. Preliminary data on patient perceptions and behaviors in the context of DNA testing are reported. Overall, our counseling approach was perceived as beneficial both by the counselors and the consultants. A marked overest imation of the risk to develop breast and/or ovarian cancer was noted in th e group of unaffected individuals from medium to low risk breast cancer fam ilies in contrast to an appropriate risk perception in members from high ri sk families. All participants shared many of the same expectations about ge netic testing and counseling and appeared to base their decision-making abo ut testing on the risk classification given by the genetic counselor. The r eported participation in gynecological cancer prevention programs was high in all families at risk, but was less sufficient in unaffected as compared to affected persons. Although current data on BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation analyses render testing in medium to low risk individuals questionable, our finding s emphasize the importance of genetic counseling and education in all risk categories of breast and/or ovarian cancer families.