Using a Chatbot to Assess Hereditary Cancer Risk

Area of Science:

• Genomic Medicine
• Public Health Informatics
• Cancer Prevention

Background:

• Family health history (FHx) is crucial for identifying hereditary cancer risks.
• Web-based tools can facilitate FHx collection and risk assessment.
• Engaging the general population in FHx collection is a public health priority.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the characteristics of users interacting with a web-based FHx collection tool.
• To identify opportunities for improving a chatbot designed for hereditary cancer risk assessment.
• To evaluate the feasibility of population-level FHx data gathering.

Main Methods:

• A web-based chatbot (ItRunsInMyFamily.com) was developed for FHx collection and hereditary cancer risk assessment.
• An online marketing campaign, including social media, was employed during November 2019 (Family Health History Month).
• User data from 3,204 completed assessments were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The campaign reached 14,140 users, with 3,204 completing the FHx assessment.
• The target demographic was women aged 40-60, with users from 3,783 US counties.
• An average of 2.5 cancers per family were reported, with 48 and 79 unique cancers among probands and family members, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Population-level FHx data collection is feasible with high user engagement.
• The ItRunsInMyFamily tool shows promise in raising awareness and collecting health information.
• Future enhancements can broaden the tool's reach and impact on hereditary cancer risk awareness.