One breast cancer risk factor is the existence of a first degree relative with the disease; about 20% of women with breast cancer have another affected family member. At some point after their breast cancer diagnosis, many women with children express concern that their daughters might also develop the disease. However, only 5 to 10% of breast cancer is due to the presence of an autosomal dominant, highly penetrant gene. Therefore, laboratory testing for the presence of a gene may not appropriately answer the concern for risk to the offspring for the majority of women. Premature marketing of a BRCA1 gene test may ignore the role of BRCA2 or other genes which predispose women to breast or ovarian cancer. In addition, a negative test result in extended family members could create a false sense of reassurance - especially if no mutation is known to exist in the family member who has cancer. False reassurance may result in some women decreasing appropriate preventive and early detection behaviors. Simultaneously, it has been recognized that there is an insufficient number of health care professionals, such as genetic counselors or oncology nurses, who have content knowledge and communication skills to service the potential volume of individuals who express interest in genetic testing. Alternative methods of providing basic information about the genetic aspects of breast cancer will be required as genetic testing becomes more available. This proposal requests two years of funding to test the hypothesis that a peer education model can successfully educate women with breast cancer about genetic risk factors. This project proposes to 1) develop an education package to present to women who have breast cancer and 2) assess whether consumers can obtain adequate understanding of genetic information from peer educators. A baseline survey will collect demographic and medical information and evaluate knowledge of cancer and risk factors including genetic factors, and interest in genetic testing. After a peer education intervention, a second survey will evaluate the change in knowledge and understanding of appropriate candidacy for genetic testing. The findings will have implications for human resource issues around the offering and utilization of genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer. The result will also demonstrate the validity of using peer educators to create more knowledgeable consumers.
| Venne, Vickie L; Hamann, Heidi A (2007) Successful use of peer educators for sharing genetic information. J Genet Couns 16:515-25 |
