Assessing Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Referral Patterns to a Tertiary Care Center: A Novel Approach Using Geographic...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Hereditary colorectal cancer (HCC) requires long-term follow-up via dedicated registries.
• Referral rates for HCC surveillance and management remain suboptimal.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology offers novel methods for analyzing healthcare access and utilization patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate referral patterns for hereditary colorectal cancer using GIS technology.
• To identify geospatial variations in patient referrals to a specialized cancer registry.
• To inform targeted strategies for improving referral rates and registry enrollment.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study analyzing data from a hereditary colorectal cancer registry (June 2007 - August 2016).
• Collected patient demographics, distance to the medical center, genetic mutation status, and referring provider specialty.
• Employed GIS technology to analyze geospatial data of patients and referring specialists, identifying referral patterns and gaps.

Main Results:

• The registry included 676 patients; 56% were female, with a median age of 50.
• The median referral distance was 60 miles; 31% had identified germline mutations.
• Gastroenterology was the primary referral source overall and for familial adenomatous polyposis; surgeons were the largest source for Lynch syndrome.

Conclusions:

• GIS mapping revealed patient and provider clustering and identified geographic gaps in referrals to the HCC registry.
• Understanding these spatial patterns is crucial for optimizing outreach and educational efforts.
• Targeted interventions can enhance provider and patient awareness, ultimately increasing enrollment in hereditary cancer registries.