Distress in couples approached for genetic counseling and BRCA1/2 testing during adjuvant radiotherapy.

Objective: Breast cancer patients mostly rely on their partners for support in dealing with their cancer diagnosis and treatment. Genetic counseling and BRCA1/2 testing during primary treatment may add to demands made on their partners. This study aimed to gain insight into the extent of psychological distress in partners of recently diagnosed patients and to find factors to help identify couples vulnerable to high psychological distress after an active approach for genetic counseling.

Familial disease with a risk of sudden death: a longitudinal study of the psychological consequences of predictive testing for long QT syndrome.

Background: Since 1996, in the Netherlands, cardiac and molecular screening has been performed in families with the long QT syndrome, a potentially life-threatening but treatable cardiac arrhythmia syndrome. The psychological consequences of predictive cardiac and molecular screening in these families are relatively unknown.

Objective: A psychological study was initiated to investigate the extent and course of distress caused by this new form of predictive genetic testing.

Barriers to participating in genetic counseling and BRCA testing during primary treatment for breast cancer.

Purpose: Little is known about reasons why eligible breast cancer patients decline BRCA mutation testing. They may withdraw at different stages during genetic counseling for different reasons. We prospectively studied perceived benefits and barriers to genetic counseling and BRCA testing in 102 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients approached for genetic counseling at the start of radiotherapy.

Short term psychological distress in patients actively approached for genetic counselling after diagnosis of breast cancer.

This prospective study assessed anxiety, depression and breast cancer-specific distress in recently diagnosed breast cancer patients before and after an active approach for genetic counselling at the beginning of adjuvant radiotherapy (mean: 52 days after surgery). Patients completed the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and the impact of event scale (IES). Psychological distress did not increase after the approach.