Reaching high-risk underserved individuals for cancer genetic counseling by video-teleconferencing
Lindsey A Mette1,2, Anna Maria Pulido Saldívar2,3, Natalie E Poullard1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Background:
Breast and colorectal cancers are common cancers for which genetic risk assessment and counseling are available. However, these services are often limited to metropolitan areas and are not readily accessible to underserved populations. Moreover, ethnic and racial disparities present additional obstacles to identifying and screening high-risk individuals and have a bearing on treatment outcomes.
Objective:
To provide cancer genetic risk assessment and counseling through telemedicine to the remote, underserved primarily Hispanic population of the Texas-Mexico border region.
Methods:
Program participants were mailed a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with the program so that we could determine the acceptability of video-teleconferencing for cancer risk assessment.
Results:
The overall level of satisfaction with the program was very high, demonstrating the acceptability of a cancer genetic risk assessment program that relied on telemedicine to reach and underserved minority community.
Limitations:
Delivery model requires the availability of and access to communication technologies; trained staff are needed at remote sites for sample collection and patient handling.
Conclusion:
Video-teleconferencing is an acceptable method of providing cancer risk assessment in a remote, underserved population.
More Related Videos
08:32Genome-Wide CRISPR Screen for Unveiling Radiosensitive and Radioresistant Genes
Published on: May 23, 2025
08:15gDNA Enrichment by a Transposase-based Technology for NGS Analysis of the Whole Sequence of BRCA1, BRCA2, and 9 Genes Involved in DNA Damage Repair
Published on: October 6, 2014
Related Concept Videos
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...
02:59Cancer Prevention
01:05Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
01:05Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:49Cancer Therapies