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VIEW ALL NEWSGenetic counseling reduces cancer-specific distress
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Genetic counseling can alleviate cancer-specific distress in women at risk for breast and ovarian cancer without adversely affecting quality of life, according to a report in the January/February issue of The Breast Journal.
Though previous epidemiological studies have shown no adverse psychological effects from genetic counseling, the authors explain, there continues to be uncertainty about the psychological and behavioral impact of genetic cancer risk counseling.
Dr. Ellen M. Mikkelsen from Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, and colleagues investigated the psychosocial impact of genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer 1 year after the session ended.
Cancer-specific distress scores declined by 10.8% in the 12 months after counseling, the authors report. However, the prevalence of anxiety and depression did not change significantly after genetic counseling. Health-related quality of life showed small improvements during the course of the study.
"Our findings indicate that genetic counseling can help alleviate cancer-specific distress among women with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer," the investigators conclude.
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