An interactive computer program can help educate women about breast cancer risk and genetic testing, and a decision board offering information on treatment options can help breast cancer patients choose between mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy, according to articles in the July 28 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the first of two studies, Michael J. Green, M.D., M.S., of Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa., and colleagues compared the effectiveness of an interactive, multimedia CD ROM-based decision aid with standard genetic counseling for educating women about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that help control normal cell growth. People who inherit specific mutations in one or both of these genes have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. People who carry these mutations and have family members with breast cancer are more likely to develop the disease.
According to background information in the article, genetic testing for inherited cancer predisposition has become widely available. But as the availability of and demand for genetic testing for hereditary cancers increases in primary care and other clinical settings, alternative or adjunct educational methods to traditional genetic counseling will be needed.