False family history of breast cancer in the family cancer clinic

Aims: Awareness of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in both the general public and the medical profession is increasing. Individuals who may be at risk on the basis of a family history are requesting risk determination and appropriate management in a variety of settings. Risk determination relies largely on pedigree analysis and epidemiological data. Methods: We describe five individuals presenting in the family cancer or genetic counselling clinic where a factitious family or personal history led to erroneous risk estimation. Common factors in these families are a history of benign breast disease, poor communication within families, long survival with early onset or bilateral disease, a lack of detailed knowledge of the illness and treatment in close relatives and inconsistencies in the history in repeated consultations.