Examining screening behaviors at a high-risk ovarian cancer clinic.

Abstract

e13047 Background: Women with deleterious BRCA1/2mutations have a significantly increased lifetime risk to develop ovarian cancer. Prophylactic surgery can significantly reduce ovarian cancer risk. The Northwestern Ovarian Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Program (NOCEDPP) was established to monitor this high-risk population prior to risk-reducing surgery. For such patients, providers in the NOCEDPP recommend screening with CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) biannually. The aim of this study was to examine screening rates of women who have not had surgery but attend the NOCEDPP. Methods: We reviewed electronic health records of 1,662 women who attended the NOCEDPP clinic between October 2005 – October 2015. Demographic and clinical characteristics and utilization of screening were analyzed retrospectively using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis H-tests to examine differences in screening rates by age, race, ethnicity and insurance type. Results: Of the 1,662 women initially identified, 385 had a known BRCA mutation, 303 had an appointment with at least 6 months between first and last procedure – the sample included in the final analysis. Compared with women ages 35-45 (median = 1.91) and 45+ (median = 1.18), women ages 20-35 attended the most screenings per year (median = 2.12) p = 0.001, a rate consistent with biannual recommendations. There were no significant differences in screening rate by race, ethnicity, or insurance coverage. Conclusions: Despite changes in national guidelines, providers in our high-risk clinic continue to recommend CA-125 and TVUS biannually. Our preliminary data indicates patients’ attendance is uninfluenced by race, ethnicity, or insurance coverage. Further exploration of the impact of age is warranted. Implication of findings indicate a high-risk clinic may positively impact screening behaviors above and beyond factors typically associated with non-adherence.