Article Text
Abstract
Introduction/Background Most of Brazilian people don’t have private health insurance. The public health system doesn’t offer genetic tests for cancer predisposition syndromes. The objective of this paper was to verify, from clinical criteria, the main hereditary cancer syndromes investigated in Pernambuco, one state of the Brazilian Northeast.
Methodology Descriptive study with patients enrolled in the public Hereditary Cancer Program of 3 hospitals in Pernambuco: Hospital de Cancer de Pernambuco (HCP), Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP) and Barão de Lucena’s Hospital (HBL), from November 2016 to October 2023, who were evaluated based on clinical criteria for the need to investigate hereditary cancer after a pre test counseling.
Results 1361 families met the criteria for hereditary neoplasic syndromes, among them:
72% HEREDITARY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER SYNDROME;
15% LYNCH SYNDROME;
7% FAMILIAL ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS;
1% LI FRAUMENI;
5% OTHERS (HEREDITARY DIFUSE GASTRIC CANCER, COWDEN, PEUTZ JEGHERS, VHL,...);
Conclusion Considering the large number of families that can be affected and depend on public health system for access to health care, the importance of looking for hereditary cancer in our population is evident. Confirmation of one of these syndromes through molecular tests would give patients and non-affected high-risk relatives the possibility of screening for malignant neoplasms with onset at earlier ages and different follow up than in the general population such as risk-reducing surgeries, when indicated. Therapeutic opportunities are being lost due to the absence of molecular evaluation.
Disclosures The authors have no conflict of interest.