Key takeaways:
- Almost all people who self-navigated your entire on-line platform accomplished germline testing.
- The platform eradicated the necessity for pretest genetic counseling useful resource utilization in about half of instances.
CHICAGO — An internet platform could assist improve entry to and cut back obstacles related to germline testing for people with most cancers, in response to findings offered at ASCO Annual Assembly.
An evaluation of people with newly recognized young-onset colorectal most cancers confirmed practically all of those that self-navigated your entire on-line platform accomplished testing.
Knowledge derived from Moskowitz JB, et al. Summary 11004. Offered at: ASCO Annual Assembly; Could 30-June 3, 2025; Chicago.
The platform additionally eradicated the necessity for pretest genetic counseling useful resource utilization in about half of instances.
The findings help the potential of on-line care supply platforms that promote “accessibility and autonomy,” Julie Moskowitz, MS, an authorized genetic counselor at The College of Texas MD Anderson Most cancers Middle, and colleagues concluded.
Julie Moskowitz
“I used to be pleasantly shocked by the uptake, and the very fact a majority of sufferers who accomplished our on-line course of adopted by with genetic testing,” Moskowitz informed Healio. “This method additionally permits for genetic counselors to carry out on the high of their scope of apply.”
Empowering sufferers
In 2022, Nationwide Complete Most cancers Community really useful common germline testing for all individuals recognized with colorectal most cancers previous to age 50 years.
As many as 20% of those people have a germline most cancers predisposition, and the power to establish these high-risk people is essential for personalised care.
“Generally testing outcomes have surgical implications. For instance, if a affected person has an APC mutation — which causes familial adenomatous polyposis, and the propensity to develop many polyps over their lifetime — they might require extra intensive surgical procedure,” Moskowitz mentioned. “If an individual has a mismatch restore mutation, that may have an effect on selections about immunotherapy.”
Nonetheless, rising incidence of young-onset colorectal most cancers has elevated demand for testing. Restricted genetic counseling assets even have hindered uptake.
“As a result of this data is so important to affected person care, there’s a want for various service supply fashions that may streamline the method and empower sufferers to take genetic testing into their very own fingers,” Moskowitz mentioned. “That’s what our self-navigable on-line platform goals to do.”
Testing the platform
Moskowitz and colleagues carried out a potential high quality enchancment trial to guage whether or not a self-navigable on-line platform for common germline testing might supply advantages.
Investigators designed the interactive platform to permit for self-eligibility screening, in addition to self-navigation to pretest training and counseling supplied by video. Customers additionally might submit consent by the platform and make preparations for saliva or blood assortment.
The examine cohort included 377 sufferers with young-onset colorectal most cancers who obtained provides for a standardized care pathway that included common germline testing.
Sufferers might self-choose genetic counseling, offered in particular person or nearly. Those that didn’t have interaction with the web platform after three invites mechanically have been referred to genetic counseling.
Common germline testing completion charge served as the first consequence. Course of feasibility and preservation of genetic counseling assets served as secondary outcomes. Researchers excluded people who had genetic testing previous to referral.
The ultimate evaluation included 160 eligible sufferers.
Investigators reported energetic platform engagement amongst 100 (63%) of them.
Eighty-nine (89%) of those that engaged with the platform accomplished common germline testing, together with 79 (96%) of 82 sufferers who navigated your entire on-line platform and 10 (71%) of 14 who opted for genetic counseling.
Lack of on-line platform engagement prompted computerized genetic counseling referral for 60 sufferers, about one-third (32%) of whom had accomplished genetic testing by information cutoff.
Use of the platform spared pretest genetic counseling workforce involvement for 79 (49%) of the 160 eligible sufferers within the cohort.
“Generally sufferers really feel they’ve all the knowledge they want on the entrance finish previous to assembly with us. For sufferers who do have extra questions, although, this enables us to get into extra in-depth conversations,” Moskowitz mentioned. “When sufferers check optimistic, we can also take the time mandatory to provide sufferers the right details about what a gene mutation means to them and their relations, and hopefully facilitate cascade testing for different relations.”
The net platform will proceed for use within the pilot group of sufferers with newly recognized young-onset colorectal most cancers. Nonetheless, higher utilization is feasible, Moskowitz mentioned.
“As a result of the platform has been developed, we do hope we will increase it to broader populations, to different MD Anderson satellite tv for pc areas or to different establishments,” she mentioned.
For extra data:
Julie Moskowitz, MS, could also be reached at jbmoskowitz@mdanderson.org.
Sources/Disclosures
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Moskowitz JB, et al. Summary 11004. Offered at: ASCO Annual Assembly; Could 30-June 3, 2025; Chicago.
Disclosures:
Moskowitz studies no related monetary disclosures. Please see the examine for all authors’ related monetary disclosures.
