Telephone counseling works for breast cancer-gene tests

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The counseling that goes along with testing for breast cancer risk genes can be delivered just as effectively over the phone as in person, and at lower cost, according to new research. “Genetic counselors are not evenly distributed across the country,” Marc Schwartz said. He’s also co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program and co-director of the Fisher Center for Familial Cancer Research at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. Genetic counseling is a way to provide information and support to people and families who have genetic disorders or may be at risk for inherited conditions, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. “We have – by virtue of the incredibly high demand for genetic risk counseling – been looking for alternative avenues,” Dr. Sofia Merajver told Reuters Health.