Risk reduction behaviors and provider communication following genetic counseling and BRCA1 mutation testing in an African American kindred.

Little is known about the impact of cancer genetic counseling and testing on health behaviors in racial and ethnic subgroups. This prospective observational study examined use of risk reduction strategies following BRCA1 counseling and testing. Participants were female members of an African American kindred who received genetic education, counseling and testing (n = 40) and completed a 1-year follow-up interview.

Acceptance of genetic testing for hereditary breast ovarian cancer among study enrollees from an African American kindred.

Clinical availability of genetic testing for cancer predisposition genes is generating a major challenge for U.S. health care systems to provide relevant genetic services to underserved populations.

The impact of receiving genetic test results on general and cancer-specific psychologic distress among members of an African-American kindred with a BRCA1 mutation.

Background: Numerous studies have examined short-term and long-term psychologic responses to genetic testing for breast/ovarian carcinoma susceptibility in clinic samples and among families who participated in genetic linkage studies. However, to the authors' knowledge, the vast majority of studies focused on non-Latino whites and women. In this prospective study, the authors investigated the psychologic impact of receiving carrier-specific BRCA1 test results as part of a genetic education/counseling intervention in female and male members of an African-American kindred with a BRCA1 mutation.