1. Effective Referral of Low-Income Women at Risk for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer to Genetic Counseling: A Randomized Delayed Intervention Control Trial.
- Author
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Pasick, Rena J., Joseph, Galen, Stewart, Susan, Kaplan, Celia, Lee, Robin, Luce, Judith, Davis, Sharon, Marquez, Titas, Nguyen, Tung, and Guerra, Claudia
- Subjects
POOR women ,TELEPHONE in medicine ,MEDICAL referrals ,GENETIC counseling ,GENETICS of breast cancer ,OVARIAN cancer ,CANCER genetics ,AT-risk people ,GENETIC disorders ,HEALTH ,DISEASE risk factors ,BREAST tumors ,OVARIAN tumors ,BREAST tumor risk factors ,CHI-squared test ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,LONGITUDINAL method ,POVERTY ,PROBABILITY theory ,RESEARCH funding ,STATISTICAL sampling ,SURVEYS ,T-test (Statistics) ,MATHEMATICAL variables ,GENETIC testing ,HELPLINES ,RANDOMIZED controlled trials ,FAMILY history (Medicine) ,DATA analysis software ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,KAPLAN-Meier estimator ,LOG-rank test ,GENETICS ,TUMOR risk factors - Abstract
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a statewide telephone service in identifying low-income women at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and referring them to free genetic counseling. Methods: From June 2010 through August 2011, eligible callers to California's toll-free breast and cervical cancer telephone service were screened for their family histories of breast and ovarian cancer. High-riskwomenwere identified and called for a baseline survey and randomization to an immediate offer of genetic counseling or a mailed brochure on how to obtain counseling. Clinic recordswere used to assess receipt of genetic counseling after 2 months. Results: Among 1212 eligible callers, 709 (58.5%) agreed to answer family history questions; 102 (14%) were at high risk (25% Hispanic, 46% White, 10% Black, 16% Asian, 3% of other racial/ethnic backgrounds). Of the high-risk women offered an immediate appointment, 39%received counseling during the intervention period, as compared with 4.5% of those receiving the brochure. Conclusions: A public health approach to the rare but serious risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer can be successful when integrated into the efforts of existing safety net organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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