학술논문

Patient perspectives on variant reclassification after cancer susceptibility testing.
Document Type
Article
Source
Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine. Jul2020, Vol. 8 Issue 7, p1-8. 8p.
Subject
*MEDICAL genetics
*GENETIC counseling
*GENETIC testing
*SEMI-structured interviews
CANCER susceptibility
Language
ISSN
2324-9269
Abstract
Background: Little is known about the impact of reclassification on patients' perception of medical uncertainty or trust in genetics‐based clinical care. Methods: Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 20 patients who had received a reclassified genetic test result related to hereditary cancer. All participants had undergone genetic counseling and testing for cancer susceptibility at Vanderbilt‐Ingram Cancer Center Hereditary Cancer Clinic within the last six years. Results: Most of the participants did not express distress related to the variant reclassification and only a minority expressed a decrease in trust in medical genetics. However, recall of the new interpretation was limited, even though all participants were recontacted by letter, phone, or clinic visit. Conclusion: Reclassification of genetic tests is an important issue in modern healthcare because changes in interpretation have the potential to alter previously recommended management. Participants in this study did not express strong feelings of mistrust or doubt about their genetic evaluation. However, there was a low level of comprehension and information retention related to the updated report. Future research can build on this study to improve communication with patients about their reclassified results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]