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UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Bridging the Gap: Transforming Knowledge into Action

July 8-12, 2006, Washington, DC, USA

Sunday, 9 July 2006 - 12:00 PM
9-50

Linking the Generations

Nina Hallowell, PhD, Public Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Sue Davolls, Department of Psychological Medicine, The Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom, Claire Foster*, PhD, CPsychol, The Department of Psychological Medicine, The Insitute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom, Clare Moynihan, The Bob Champion Unit, The Insitute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom, and Maggie Watson, PhD, BSc, Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.

Objective: Men who have a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer may be offered a predictive genetic test to determine whether or not they carry the family specific BRCA1/2 mutation. Male BRCA1/2 carriers may be at increased risk of breast/colon/prostate cancers. Relatively little is known about at-risk men's decision-making about BRCA1/2 testing. This ongoing qualitative study explores the influences on male patients' genetic test decisions and the impact of BRCA1/2 predictive genetic testing upon high-risk men and their immediate family.

Methods: Twenty-nine in-depth interviews have been undertaken with both carrier and non-carrier men and immediate family members (17 male patients, 8 female partners 4 adult children), thus far. These explore: their experiences of cancer and genetic testing, decision-making about testing, family support, communication of test results within the family, risk perception and risk management

Results: The influences on men's testing decisions, such as, altruism, anxiety about own health and own/partner's anxiety about children's risks or curiosity will be examined. Different types of patterns of family communication about DNA-testing and the test results will be described. Some methodological and ethical issues arising during the course of this study will be discussed.



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