Can Colon Cancer Screening Behavior Be Improved by Genetic Counseling and Testing?
KA Johnson, JD Brensinger, GM Petersen, FM Giardiello, CA Griffin Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Cancer genetic counseling and testing can identify individuals at increased cancer risk and provide individualized screening recommendations. However, the effect of genetic counseling and testing on screening behavior is not well known. To investigate the impact on patient adherence, we analyzed follow-up data from patients of the Johns Hopkins Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic seen 8/96-5/98. Included patients were without cancer and due for a colon examination by follow-up time, based on recommendations provided during their consultation. Age, sex, time since visit, prior screening, genetic testing decision, mutation status, and post-visit screening were the analyzed variables. Data were available on 65 patients (49.2% male, average age: 55.0, average time since visit: 12.7 months). While 76.9% had ³1 endoscopic colon exam prior to their visit, the majority (5
