Genetic cancer risk assessment: A screenshot of the psychosocial profile of women at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of information describing Brazilian women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) who undergo genetic cancer risk assessment (GCRA). This study aims to characterize the psychosocial profile of women at risk for HBOC at their first GCRA to obtain an overview of their families' profiles and the challenges of the oncogenetics setting. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which interviews were conducted with 83 cancer-affected women at their first GRCA appointment after the pedigree draw. Tools to evaluate psychological outcomes were applied. The pedigree genogram and ecomap were constructed and analyzed with content analysis using the "life course perspective" theory. RESULTS: Individuals perceived their breast/ovarian cancer risk to be equal to that of the general population, although they were highly concerned about developing cancer. No evidence of anxiety or depressive symptoms was identified. Participants used the coping strategy of searching for religiosity. The genograms and ecomaps resulted in five major themes: support and social support; attitudes, feelings and emotions; cancer causes; communication; and relationships with relatives. Individuals between 20-29 years of age and those with no family history of cancer tended not to communicate with relatives, which may indicate future problems in the GCRA process regarding genetic testing. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that knowing the families who undergo the GCRA process can help professionals provide more individualized and thorough attention during GCRA and genetic testing, which results in better follow-up and prevention strategies.

Laparoscopic Sleeve-Collis-Nissen Gastroplasty: a Safe Alternative for Morbidly Obese Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have recently suggested that laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy may exacerbate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms or even increase the risk of "de novo" post-operative GERD. We herein describe and evaluate the initial response of an alternative technique of sleeve gastroplasty combined with Nissen fundoplication for morbidly obese patients who present significant GERD. METHODS: From January 2008 to December 2013, 122 morbidly obese patients underwent laparoscopic Sleeve-Collis-Nissen gastroplasty (LSCNG). RESULTS: The great majority of the patients were female (97.5 %), with a mean age of 42.4 years old (from 18 to 72). Hiatal hernia and use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were presented in 54.9 and 92 %, respectively. The mean operative time was 91 ± 6 min. The mean hospitalization stay was 2 ± 0.3 days. Major complications including stenosis requiring endoscopic dilation and GI bleeding were observed in five patients (4.1 %). No leaks were observed. One-year follow-up showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of esophagitis (100 vs 13.6 %) and the use of PPIs (92 vs 13.6 %). The percentages of excess weight loss 1 and 3 years after the surgery were 64.4 ± 7.2 and 60.4 ± 8.1 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LSCNG is a novel, technically feasible surgery with a low incidence of procedure-related complications. However, further prospective studies are required to assess the real impact of this procedure on the improvement of GERD symptoms.