Department of Internal Medicine, North Shore University Hospital & Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY
Xianghui Zou , Baho Sidiqi , Cathy Nguyen , Ellen Chen , Noah D. Kauff , Daniel King
Background: Germline genetic testing is recommended for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our previous study identified delays in germline testing for socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. We aimed to compare delays before and after implementing recommendations for same-day germline testing and identify reasons why germline testing was not performed. Methods: Using an IRB-approved protocol, PDAC patients were identified from Jan 2022 to Dec 2022 in our EMR system. Median income was estimated by zip code. Delays were calculated as the difference between diagnosis and germline test date. Social work needs were assessed through EMR review. An in-depth chart review was conducted to identify why tests were not performed. Results: An additional 100 patients were found with tests performed. Compared to our previous 135-patient study with a median delay of 27 days (d) in testing, our recent data showed a median delay of 15d (p=0.0215). In our previous study, 50 out of 135 patients (37%) received testing within two weeks of their PDAC diagnosis, whereas our recent data showed that 49 out of 100 patients (49%) received testing within two weeks (c2=3.372, p=0.0663), a 32% relative increase. The negative correlation between median income and delays in testing (r=-0.2578, p=0.0025) found in our previous study no longer existed in our recent analysis (r=0.0419, p=0.6802). Compared to our previous study in underserved minority (UM) patients (African American and Hispanic), our recent data showed a significant decrease in the delays for testing in UM patients (66d vs 19d, p=0.0041). We did not identify a difference in delays for testing between UM and not UM patients in the recent dataset (UM: 19d vs not UM: 15d, p=0.8075). In addition, compared to our previous study in patients with social work (SW) needs, our recent data showed a significant decrease in the delays for patients with SW needs (104d vs 13d, p=0.0004). We did not detect a significant difference between patients with SW needs and without SW needs in our recent data (SW: 13d vs no SW: 15d, p=0.8041). Finally, in our analysis of 87 patients without documented tests, 51 (59%) received care elsewhere, 25 (29%) were never offered tests, 5 (6%) refused tests, and 6 (7%) pursued a palliative approach. Conclusions: Our recent analysis showed a significant decrease in delays of testing, as more patients received prompt testing after PDAC diagnosis. Socioeconomically disadvantaged patients and those with social work needs no longer experienced significant delays in testing. To further mitigate delays, we plan to initiate germline testing during the first visit by providing introductory videos to increase understanding of consent. Furthermore, the substantial number of patients who were not offered tests will raise physician awareness regarding the necessity of offering germline tests.
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Abstract Disclosures
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First Author: Xianghui Zou
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