From Screening to Action: Planning the Full Care Cascade for Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment-From Screening to Action_ Planning the Full Care Cascade for Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment

From Screening to Action_ Planning the Full Care Cascade for Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment

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Video Summary

The webinar, hosted by ACCC, focused on expanding hereditary cancer risk assessment from screening to action across the full care cascade. Speakers from the University of Illinois Cancer Center explained why hereditary cancer testing is a health equity issue, since risk is often missed in primary care and genetic counseling services are unevenly distributed.<br /><br />They described MyFamCan, a universal family history screening initiative used in primary care, mammography, community, and emergency department settings to identify at-risk patients. The team also discussed ways to make workflows sustainable, including patient tablets, remote screening, health literacy support, and multiple follow-up options such as one-on-one counseling, group counseling, and online education.<br /><br />A key finding was that standard referral-based pathways led to major drop-off, with only about 22% of eligible patients completing testing. To improve uptake, they piloted mainstream genetic testing, where primary care clinicians provide brief education, consent, and ordering support. This model nearly doubled testing rates and shortened time to testing.<br /><br />The presenters emphasized that success depends on clinic buy-in, provider training, genetic counselor support, and partnerships between cancer centers, primary care, and FQHCs to strengthen cancer prevention.

Keywords

hereditary cancer risk assessment

health equity

family history screening

primary care

genetic testing

mainstream genetic testing

genetic counseling

cancer prevention