Browsing by Author "Ngeow, Joanne"
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Item Open Access Clinical implementation of an oncology-specific family health history risk assessment tool.(Hereditary cancer in clinical practice, 2021-03-20) Fung, Si Ming; Wu, R Ryanne; Myers, Rachel A; Goh, Jasper; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S; Matchar, David; Orlando, Lori A; Ngeow, JoanneBackground
The presence of hereditary cancer syndromes in cancer patients can have an impact on current clinical care and post-treatment prevention and surveillance measures. Several barriers inhibit identification of hereditary cancer syndromes in routine practice. This paper describes the impact of using a patient-facing family health history risk assessment platform on the identification and referral of breast cancer patients to genetic counselling services.Methods
This was a hybrid implementation-effectiveness study completed in breast cancer clinics. English-literate patients not previously referred for genetic counselling and/or gone through genetic testing were offered enrollment. Consented participants were provided educational materials on family health history collection, entered their family health history into the platform and completed a satisfaction survey. Upon completion, participants and their clinicians were given personalized risk reports. Chart abstraction was done to identify actions taken by patients, providers and genetic counsellors.Results
Of 195 patients approached, 102 consented and completed the study (mean age 55.7, 100 % women). Sixty-six (65 %) met guideline criteria for genetic counseling of which 24 (36 %) were referred for genetic counseling. Of those referred, 13 (54 %) participants attended and eight (33 %) completed genetic testing. On multivariate logistic regression, referral was not associated with age, cancer stage, or race but was associated with clinical provider (p = 0.041). Most providers (71 %) had higher referral rates during the study compared to prior. The majority of participants found the experience useful (84 %), were more aware of their health risks (83 %), and were likely to recommend using a patient-facing platform to others (69 %).Conclusions
65 % of patients attending breast cancer clinics in this study are at-risk for hereditary conditions based on current guidelines. Using a patient-facing risk assessment platform enhances the ability to identify these patients systematically and with widespread acceptability and recognized value by patients. As only a third of at-risk participants received referrals for genetic counseling, further understanding barriers to referral is needed to optimize hereditary risk assessment in oncology practices.Trial registration
NIH Clinical Trials registry, NCT04639934 . Registered Nov 23, 2020 -- Retrospectively registered.Item Open Access Cost Effectiveness of Universal Hepatitis B Virus Screening in Patients Beginning Chemotherapy for Sarcomas or GI Stromal Tumors.(Journal of global oncology, 2016-08) Tan, Glorijoy; Zhou, Ke; Tan, Chee Hian; Matchar, David B; Farid, Mohamad; Quek, Richard; Ngeow, JoannePurpose
The value of screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection before chemotherapy for nonhematopoietic solid tumors remains unsettled. We evaluated the cost effectiveness of universal screening before systemic therapy for sarcomas, including GI stromal tumors (GISTs).Patients and methods
Drawing from the National Cancer Centre Singapore database of 1,039 patients with sarcomas, we analyzed the clinical records of 485 patients who received systemic therapy. Using a Markov model, we compared the cost effectiveness of a screen-all versus screen-none strategy in this population.Results
A total of 237 patients were screened for HBV infection. No patients developed HBV reactivation during chemotherapy. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of offering HBV screening to all patients with sarcomas and patients with GISTs exceeded the cost-effectiveness threshold of SG$100,000 per QALY. This result was robust in one-way sensitivity analysis. Our results show that only changes in mortality rate secondary to HBV reactivation could make the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio cross the cost-effectiveness threshold.Conclusion
Universal HBV screening in patients with sarcomas or GISTs undergoing chemotherapy is not cost effective at a willingness to pay of SG$100,000 per QALY and may not be required.Item Open Access Detecting Germline PTEN Mutations Among At-Risk Patients With Cancer: An Age- and Sex-Specific Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.(Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2015-08) Ngeow, Joanne; Liu, Chang; Zhou, Ke; Frick, Kevin D; Matchar, David B; Eng, CharisPurpose
Cowden syndrome (CS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by benign and malignant tumors. One-quarter of patients who are diagnosed with CS have pathogenic germline PTEN mutations, which increase the risk of the development of breast, thyroid, uterine, renal, and other cancers. PTEN testing and regular, intensive cancer surveillance allow for early detection and treatment of these cancers for mutation-positive patients and their relatives. Individual CS-related features, however, occur commonly in the general population, making it challenging for clinicians to identify CS-like patients to offer PTEN testing.Patients and methods
We calculated the cost per mutation detected and analyzed the cost-effectiveness of performing selected PTEN testing among CS-like patients using a semi-quantitative score (the PTEN Cleveland Clinic [CC] score) compared with existing diagnostic criteria. In our model, first-degree relatives of the patients with detected PTEN mutations are offered PTEN testing. All individuals with detected PTEN mutations are offered cancer surveillance.Results
CC score at a threshold of 15 (CC15) costs from $3,720 to $4,573 to detect one PTEN mutation, which is the most inexpensive among the different strategies. At base-case, CC10 is the most cost-effective strategy for female patients who are younger than 40 years, and CC15 is the most cost-effective strategy for female patients who are between 40 and 60 years of age and male patients of all ages. In sensitivity analyses, CC15 is robustly the most cost-effective strategy for probands who are younger than 60 years.Conclusion
Use of the CC score as a clinical risk calculator is a cost-effective prescreening method to identify CS-like patients for PTEN germline testing.Item Open Access Experience and Perceptions of a Family Health History Risk Assessment Tool among Multi-Ethnic Asian Breast Cancer Patients.(J Pers Med, 2021-10-19) Yoon, Sungwon; Goh, Hendra; Fung, Si Ming; Tang, Shihui; Matchar, David; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S; Orlando, Lori A; Ngeow, Joanne; Wu, Rebekah RyanneA family health history-based risk assessment is particularly valuable for guiding cancer screening and treatment strategies, yet an optimal implementation depends upon end-users' values and needs. This is not only true prior to disease development, but also for those already affected. The aim of this study is to explore perceptions of the value of knowing one's family health history (FHH)-based risk, experience using a patient-facing FHH tool and the potential of the tool for wider implementation. Twenty multi-ethnic Asian patients undergoing breast cancer treatment in Singapore completed an FHH-based risk assessment. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted and data were thematically analyzed. All participants were female and slightly more than half were Chinese. The acceptance and usage of an FHH risk assessment tool for cancers and its broader implementation was affected by a perceived importance of personal control over early detection, patient concerns of anxiety for themselves and their families due to risk results, concerns for genetic discrimination, adequacy of follow-up care plans and Asian cultural beliefs toward disease and dying. This study uniquely sheds light on the factors affecting Asian breast cancer patients' perceptions about undergoing an FHH-based risk assessment, which should inform steps for a broader implementation in Asian healthcare systems.