Genetic Counseling or Usual Care in Helping Women With Newly Diagnosed Ductal Carcinoma In Situ or Stage I, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Breast Cancer Make Treatment Decisions

RATIONALE: Genetics education and counseling may help patients make treatment decisions. It is not yet known how genetic counseling or usual care influence patient treatment decisions for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying how well genetic counseling works compared to usual care in helping patients with newly diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ, stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA breast cancer make treatment decisions.

OBJECTIVES:

* Compare the impact of rapid genetic counseling (RGC) vs usual care on the medical decisions of women with newly diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ or stage I-IIIA breast cancer.
* Compare the impact of these interventions on the quality of life and psychological well being of these patients.
* Determine baseline factors that predict who is most and least likely to benefit from RGC in patients undergoing these interventions.
* Compare the cost per quality adjusted life year saved from a societal perspective in patients undergoing these interventions.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to participating site. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 interventional arms.

* Arm I (rapid genetic counseling): Patients undergo a 1½ hour genetic counseling session either in person or by telephone. Patients who undergo telephone counseling receive a booklet of visual aids and educational materials. Patient preferences and values are assessed immediately after counseling. Some patients may undergo BRCA1/2 status determination. Patients undergo follow-up telephone interviews at 1, 6, and 12 months.
* Arm II (usual care): Patients receive a packet of breast cancer treatment educational materials. Patient preferences and values are assessed 2 weeks later. Patients undergo follow-up telephone interviews as in arm I.

In both arms, quality of life is assessed at baseline and at 1, 6, and 12 months.

After completion of the study, patients are followed periodically for 1 year.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 360 patients will be accrued for this study.

Eligibility Criteria:
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Newly diagnosed breast cancer, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  * Stage 0 disease (ductal carcinoma in situ only)
  * Stage I-IIIA disease
* Must meet 1 of the following criteria:

  * Diagnosis before 50 years of age
  * Diagnosis after 50 years of age AND has 1 of the following:

    * First or second degree relative diagnosed with breast cancer before 50 years of age
    * First or second degree relative diagnosed with ovarian cancer at any age
    * First or second degree relative diagnosed with male breast cancer at any age
* Must not have initiated definitive treatment for breast cancer
* No bilateral, metastatic, or inflammatory breast cancer
* No prior BRCA1/2 counseling or testing
* No prior diagnosis of metastatic cancer of any type
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Sex

* Female

Menopausal status

* Not specified

Performance status

* Not specified

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Not specified

Hepatic

* Not specified

Renal

* Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Surgery

* No prior bilateral mastectomy for breast cancer

Other

* No concurrent treatment for cancer