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Are employees ready to engage in genetic cancer risk assessment in the workplace setting?

European Journal of Human Genetics (2024)Cite this article

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The identification of people with hereditary cancer syndromes is an evidence-based, national health priority, endorsed by several notable health organizations, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) [1, 2]. Approximately 25% of individuals have a personal or family history that significantly increases their risk for cancer and makes them eligible for genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes, such as Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC) and Lynch Syndrome [3]. The recommended genetic testing is often a multi-gene panel that can be customized based on patients’ personal and family history, and preference. However, most individuals affected by a hereditary cancer syndrome remain unaware of their risk and are thus unable to benefit from personalized cancer surveillance and risk reducing strategies [4, 5]. Our group is exploring novel quality improvement initiatives to expand access to genetic cancer risk assessment and genetic testing both within health systems and beyond [3, 6]. Here, we seek to explore the feasibility and acceptability of genetic cancer risk assessment when offered at employee health fairs. This was a quality improvement initiative.

The workplace is emerging as a new and exciting opportunity for health education and screening. Employee health fairs and education sessions have been shown to improve knowledge and awareness about a variety of topics including cancer screening, diabetes, and HIV in racially and ethnically diverse populations [7,8,9]. Although an increasing number of employers include germline hereditary cancer-focused genetic testing as part of employee health packages, educational sessions to raise awareness about hereditary cancer are rarely offered at health fairs [10].

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Fig. 1: Illustrative workflow of genetic cancer risk assessment in the workplace.

References

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Acknowledgements

We thank all who helped organize the event and for allowing us to share this experience with the hope that others, as a result, will benefit.

Funding

MKF was supported by the following grant: American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation/American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AAOGF/ABOG) Career Development Award. RNS was supported by the following grants: National Cancer Institute Grant # K07CA216326 and R01CA211723 and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute Grant # IHS-2017C3-9211.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Isabelle R. Chandler, Jesse T. Brewer, Muhammad Danyal Ahsan, Tamar Nicole Soussana, Emily M. Webster, Michelle Primiano, Ravi N. Sharaf & Melissa K. Frey

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  1. Isabelle R. Chandler
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  2. Jesse T. Brewer
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  3. Muhammad Danyal Ahsan
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  4. Tamar Nicole Soussana
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  5. Emily M. Webster
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  6. Michelle Primiano
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  7. Ravi N. Sharaf
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  8. Melissa K. Frey
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Contributions

IRC, JTB, MDA, MKF wrote or significantly contributed to writing the manuscript. IRC, EMW, MP, RNS, MKF designed the workflow. IRC, JTB, MKF analyzed the data. IRC, MDA, TNS, MKF collected the data. MP, RNS, MKF provided guidance throughout the process and event. All authors edited and approved the final version of the paper.

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Correspondence to Isabelle R. Chandler.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Chandler, I.R., Brewer, J.T., Ahsan, M.D. et al. Are employees ready to engage in genetic cancer risk assessment in the workplace setting?. Eur J Hum Genet (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-024-01655-2

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