Samuel Lloyd|Mags Watson|Benna Waites|L Meyer|Rosalind Eeles|S. Ebbs|André Tylee
Familial breast cancer: a controlled study of risk perception, psychological morbidity and health beliefs in women attending for genetic counselling
Institute of Cancer Research|Institute of Cancer Research|Institute of Cancer Research
present study set evaluate perceptions risk psychological morbidity health behaviours women family history breast cancer attended genetic counselling determine differ general population risk women data collected 62 genetic counselees cases attending royal marsden mayday university hospital genetic counselling services 62 matched gp attenders controls levels general psychological morbidity found similar cases controls however cases reported significantly higher breast cancerspecific distress despite clinic attendance mean sd total impact event scale score 141 143 cases 24 67 controls p 0001 although cases perceived susceptible breast cancer many women failed correctly recall risk figures provided clinic 66 could accurately recall lifetime chance clinics appeared positive impact preventive behaviours cases tended engage regularly breast selfexamination monthly 66 cases vs 47 controls although differences found groups terms health beliefs conclude counselees gp controls showed considerable similarities many outcome measures risk breast cancer predictive greater psychological morbidity although cases vulnerable cancerspecific distress despite genetic counselling many cases continued perceive risk breast cancer inaccurately