Challenges and opportunities for Lynch syndrome cascade testing in the United States

Challenges and opportunities for Lynch syndrome cascade testing in the United States. Lauren E Passero et al. Fam Cancer 2024 3 From the abstract: " Lynch syndrome is an underdiagnosed genetic condition that increases lifetime colorectal, endometrial, and other cancer risk. Cascade testing in relatives is recommended to increase diagnoses and enable access to cancer prevention services, yet uptake is limited due to documented multi-level barriers. Individual barriers such as feelings of fear, guilt, and anxiety and limited knowledge about Lynch syndrome as well as interpersonal barriers including complex family dynamics and language barriers limit family communication about Lynch syndrome and prevent uptake of genetic screening for relatives. Organizational and environmental barriers including a shortage of genetics professionals, high costs, and fears of discrimination also reduce cascade testing. These multi-level barriers may disproportionately impact underserved populations in the United States," https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38548925/