Abstract A36: Exploring the climate, barriers, and possible approaches to implementing genetic cancer risk assessment in Latin America: A roundtable discussion

Genetic cancer risk assessment (GCRA) is an interdisciplinary medical subspecialty practice that employs a growing arsenal of genetic and genomic tools to identify individuals and families with increased risk for cancer, often prior to the onset of disease, when early detection or prevention strategies are most effective. Access to GCRA is a standard of care in most developed countries, but is not available in most of Latin America. In March of 2014, City of Hope in Duarte, CA, conducted a roundtable discussion forum with 16 Latin American physicians representing Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. The purpose of the roundtable was to explore the current state of GCRA services, including policy, resources, and barriers, in the respective Latin American countries. Thirteen participants attended in-person and 3 via web conference. The session was moderated by a team comprised of 4 bilingual cancer genetics clinicians. Participants were prompted with open-ended discussion questions eliciting perceived needs and the current status of GCRA services in their country, barriers to GCRA practice, and possible approaches to address access barriers. The session was largely conducted in Spanish, recorded, and transcribed. The transcript was coded and thematically analyzed. Preliminary analysis identified barriers to GCRA implementation, including: (1) limited patient and provider knowledge about GCRA, (2) lack of insurance coverage and high patient out-of-pocket costs for GCRA testing, (3) long turnaround time for genetic test results, (4) absence of readily available provider training or expertise, and (5) lack of institutional infrastructure or policy to support the development of GCRA programs. Participants emphasized the importance of collecting evidence to support the efficacy of GCRA in their own populations as an essential step toward building GCRA services in their countries. The findings also point to the need for a multi-level approach that addresses the need for education and training and cost-effective genetic testing, as well as the creation of an evidence-based foundation for the development of policy, infrastructure and resources to implement and sustain GCRA services in Latin America. Citation Format: Tanya Chavez, Bita Nehoray, Alexandra Obregon-Tito, Charite Ricker, Ilana Solomon, Mariana Niell-Swiller, Christina Ryback, Julio E. Abugattas, Yasser Sullcahuaman, Maria F. Noriega, Ana I. Orduz, Jorge M. Melo, Ana Chaves, Lenny Gallardo, Cynthia Villarreal, Robin Shaw, Rosa M. Alvarez, Eunice F. Morales, Alicia M. Cock-Rada, Azucena Del Toro, Pamela Mora, Marcia Cruz, Maria E. Fernandez, Kathleen R. Blazer, Jeffrey N. Weitzel. Exploring the climate, barriers, and possible approaches to implementing genetic cancer risk assessment in Latin America: A roundtable discussion. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A36.