Oncogenetics training in Brazilian medical genetics residency programs: current landscape and challenges

Area of Science:

• Medical Genetics
• Oncology
• Genomic Medicine

Background:

• Oncogenetics is crucial for managing hereditary cancer predisposition, guiding risk-reducing interventions and targeted therapies.
• Understanding the current state of oncogenetics training in Brazil is essential for medical genetics residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the landscape and identify variability in oncogenetics training within Brazilian Medical Genetics Residency Programs.
• To assess training components including rotations, workload, multidisciplinary care, and competency assessment.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study utilizing online questionnaires and interviews with program supervisors from all accredited Medical Genetics Residency Programs in Brazil.
• Data analysis involved descriptive statistics to characterize the oncogenetics training environment.

Main Results:

• Eleven of twelve (92%) programs offer oncogenetics training, mostly in the third residency year, with varied internal and external rotation availability.
• Residents receive a mean of 250.1 practical hours and 31.3 theoretical hours, with considerable variability in patient load and total training hours.
• Multidisciplinary care and research are common, but formal oncogenetics competency assessments are infrequent, highlighting significant heterogeneity across programs.

Conclusions:

• Oncogenetics is integrated into Brazilian medical genetics residency, reflecting the rise of genomic medicine in oncology.
• The observed heterogeneity in training necessitates standardized approaches, inter-institutional networks, and formalized external rotations to address disparities.