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Veronica Collins

Publications and source records attributed to Veronica Collins.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Screening and preventive behaviors one year after predictive genetic testing for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Prevention benefits from predictive genetic testing for cancer will only be fully realized if appropriate screening is adopted after testing. The current study assessed screening and preventive behaviors during 12 months after predictive genetic testing for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC) in an Australian clinical cohort. METHODS: Participants received predictive genetic testing for HNPCC at one of five Australian familial cancer clinics. Data on self-reported screening behaviors (colonoscopy, and endometrial sampling and transvaginal ultrasound for women) and prophylactic surgery (colectomy, and hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy for women) were collected using postal questionnaires before (baseline) and 12 months after receipt of genetic test results. Age, gender, perceived risk of cancer, and cancer-specific distress were assessed as predictors of colonoscopic screening. RESULTS: In the current study, 114 participants returned baseline questionnaires (32 carriers and 82 noncarriers of an HNPCC mutation). Ninety-eight participants also returned a 12-month follow-up questionnaire. Of those > or = 25 years, 73% reported having had a colonoscopy before genetic testing. At follow-up, 71% (15 of 25) of carriers and 12% (8 of 65) of noncarriers reported having a colonoscopy in the 12 months after receipt of test results. The reduction in colonoscopy among noncarriers was statistically significant (P < 0.001). High perceived risk was associated with colonoscopy at baseline. At follow-up, mutation status was the only variable significantly associated with colonoscopy. Among female mutation carriers, 47% reported having transvaginal ultrasonography and 53% endometrial sampling during follow-up. There was low uptake of prophylactic surgery for colorectal, endometrial, or ovarian carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of individuals reported appropriate screening behaviors after predictive genetic testing for HNPCC. The small group of noncarriers who had screening after genetic testing might benefit from additional counseling.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Facilitating family communication about predictive genetic testing: probands' perceptions.

The responsibility of informing relatives that predictive genetic testing is available often falls to the proband. Support is required during this process, however the perceived utility of genetic counseling and other strategies to facilitate communication have not been explored. We investigated the experiences of 12 individuals with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in a semistructured telephone interview. Respondents informed their immediate family about the availability of genetic testing, however many more-distant relatives were not directly informed. Respondents were mostly satisfied with the way they told family members about testing and had mixed views about the usefulness of genetic counseling. Gender differences were observed, with most men expressing a need for guidance or support in communicating to relatives. Letters and booklets were thought to enhance the quality of information but the provision of further aids is unlikely to increase the number of relatives made aware of predictive testing by the proband.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Predictive genetic testing: high risk expectations in the face of low risk information.

The aims of this cross-sectional, questionnaire study were (1) to estimate the proportion of those receiving negative ("low risk") results following predictive genetic testing who expect to undergo clinically unnecessary future screening and (2) to examine the factors associated with this expectation. Of 127 adults receiving negative results following predictive genetic testing for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), 54 people (42%) were expected to attend for future bowel screening. The main predictor was doubt about the accuracy of genetic test results. Expecting to attend was also associated univariately with perceiving the chance of developing FAP as higher, being more worried about this, perceiving the test result to be more uncertain and threatening, and holding a behavioral model of the cause of FAP. Attendance for health screening may be influenced by people's perception of the accuracy of genetic tests that they have undergone. Future research should investigate test presentation and influences on test perception.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Likelihood of attending bowel screening after a negative genetic test result: the possible influence of health professionals.

This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which the reported likelihood of attending future bowel screening following negative genetic testing results for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) varies between the type of health professional providing care and the country of testing. The study subjects were 103 unaffected adults at risk for FAP who received negative results following predictive DNA testing. Our study indicates that the reported likelihood of attending bowel screening was higher in those given results by nongenetics physicians, rather than by genetics professionals; the reported likelihood of attending bowel screening under these circumstances was also higher in the UK than in Australia. Both of these results were affected by the perceived chances of developing FAP, and, in the case of the country of testing, by the perceived accuracy of the genetic test result and the perceived seriousness of the disease. How and what health professionals communicate with patients about genetic testing may explain the differences between type of health professional and country of testing and attitudes toward bowel screening. If this is the case, training in communication may change patients' perceptions and, in turn, their behavioral intentions and actions following a negative test result.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗