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Cancer survivors: familial risk perception and management advice given to their relatives

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe 2 years cancer survivors’ perception of the cancer risk running in their family, and to describe how frequently these survivors recommended cancer screening to their relatives. A national cross-sectional survey was launched by the French Ministry of Health to investigate the living conditions of adult cancer patients 2 years after cancer diagnosis. Among the 13,923 patients identified, 6,957 were eligible to participate in this study and 4460 (64.1%) answered the questionnaire administered by telephone. One participant out of every two (50.8%) reported that they thought their relatives’ risk of cancer was greater than that of the relatives of unaffected persons. Higher percentages were recorded among breast and colorectal cancer patients (65 and 65.1%, respectively), and lower percentages among those with lung and hematological cancer (34.9 and 28.4%, respectively). Overall, 61.1% of the participants had already advised relatives to undergo cancer screening and 10.4% planned to do so. Eighty-one percent of the participants with breast cancer and 76.3% of those with colorectal cancer said they had advised relatives to undergo screening. Lower percentages were obtained among patients with urinary tract (41.7%) and hematological malignancies (27.1%). Although patients’ perceptions tend to fit the latest data on the frequency of cancer germline mutations, physicians should help their patients to convey more accurate advice to their families. If survivors were better informed, they could play a critical role by conveying relevant and sound risk reduction messages to their relatives.

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Acknowledgments

The design and collection of the survey was supported by the research department of the French ministry of health (DREES), the three major French health care reimbursement offices (CNAMTS, CCMSA and RSI) and a cancer patients’ association (La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR912, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, 232 Bd St Marguerite, 13009, Marseille, France

    Francois Eisinger & Claire Julian-Reynier

  2. INSERM, UMR 912, “Economic & Social Sciences, Health Systems & Societies” (SE4S), 13273, Marseille, France

    Francois Eisinger, Anne Deborah Bouhnik, Laetitia Malavolti, Anne Gaelle Le Corroller-Soriano & Claire Julian-Reynier

  3. Aix-Marseille Université, UMR 912, Marseille, France

    Francois Eisinger, Anne Deborah Bouhnik, Laetitia Malavolti, Anne Gaelle Le Corroller-Soriano & Claire Julian-Reynier

  4. IRD, UMR912, Marseille, France

    Francois Eisinger, Anne Deborah Bouhnik, Laetitia Malavolti, Anne Gaelle Le Corroller-Soriano & Claire Julian-Reynier

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  1. Francois Eisinger
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  2. Anne Deborah Bouhnik
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  3. Laetitia Malavolti
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  4. Anne Gaelle Le Corroller-Soriano
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  5. Claire Julian-Reynier
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Correspondence to Claire Julian-Reynier.

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Eisinger, F., Bouhnik, A.D., Malavolti, L. et al. Cancer survivors: familial risk perception and management advice given to their relatives. Familial Cancer 10, 147–155 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-010-9390-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-010-9390-1

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