Patients who have had invasive procedures more open to carrier testing.(Obstetrics)

GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Patients referred for genetic testing are more likely to agree to carrier status testing if they already have accepted an invasive procedure.

A study of 3,131 patients referred for genetic testing found that individuals were more likely to accept cystic fibrosis carrier testing and were more likely to accept both CF and fragile X syndrome (FXS) carrier testing if they underwent an invasive procedure such as amniocentesis.

"Patients who underwent such a procedure were more than twice as likely to accept both screening tests, compared with patients who had declined invasive testing, said Amy Cronister, the study's lead author and regional manager of genetic services, Genzyme Genetics, Phoenix, Ariz.

This finding suggests that there may be specific populations of patients who generally tend to avoid genetic testing, and other populations for whom the concept of genetic testing is much more acceptable, she said at a meeting sponsored by the American College of Medical Genetics.

Overall, 33% of referrals ...