PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICIANS REGARDING GENETIC COUNSELING FOR CANCER: THE EXAMPLE OF COLORECTAL CANCER

Abstract

In Brazil, there is an estimated emergence of 500.000 new cases of cancer per year, of which 10% have hereditary characteristics. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of death from cancer and approximately 30% of these tumors are hereditary. In the last years, there were important advances in the knowledge about hereditary cancers and in particular about CCR, which had an impact on mortality and survival rate, requiring the capableness of physicians to incorporate these advances in health care. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of São Carlos’, SP, physicians about the general genetics of cancer and in particular about CCR. Without further appeal, it intends to collaborate in an efficient permanent educational program for health professionals, contributing to build an integral line of care for patients with genetic diseases. It is a descriptive study, to which 325 physicians with active registration on the Medical Association of São Carlos, in the years 2010 and 2011, were invited to participate. The research’s participants fulfilled a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of 10 open questions and 5 closed questions. The analysis of the results was performed for each of the questionnaires by two researchers, from the responses to the questionnaire the topics were listed in accordance with the knowledge to which they referred.. Ten physicians participated in the study, which reflects a low compliance among the potential research subjects. The graduation year of the participants ranged between 1976 and 2005.From the analysis of the questionnaires some statements were captured: (1) "gene" was primarily described according to its biochemical composition and static form, without incorporation of recent molecular processes in the speeches; (2) the relation between genotypephenotype was described as "cause-effect" and "variety of gene expression," the environmental influence in this interaction was included in part of the questionnaires; (3) the genetic etiology of cancer appeared as a constant reference in the speeches, even though the pathophysiology of hereditary cancer and the distinction between sporadic and inherited cancers were not clear, what appears to be an conceptual confusion between hereditary cancer and cancer familial aggregation; (4) the importance of clinical history, family history and molecular genetic testing for diagnosis of hereditary cancer was recognized, despite of the citation of tests with no utility for diagnosis; (5) the key features associated with hereditary cancers were recognized; (6) the concept that the hereditary CCR predisposes to extracolonic tumors was consensual, and the relationship between the high mortality of CCR and its late diagnosis was poorly expressed. These results can guide a plan for permanent education for graduated medical professionals about the recent discovers on genetic and genetic counseling for cancer.