Publications by authors named "Heather Spencer Feigelson"

Purpose: We developed an electronic patient-facing family history collection tool including B-RST 3.0, PREMM risk assessments and "limited family knowledge/structure" information designed for primary care settings. We evaluated the tool's performance compared with genetic-counselor-collected information for clinical risk stratification in a population with barriers to access.

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Introduction: In 2018, the US Preventive Services Task Force updated cervical cancer screening recommendations to allow for screening every 5 years with primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in combination with cytology (cotesting) or every 5 years with primary HPV screening alone. Despite these changes, the uptake of primary HPV screening has been lower than expected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patient perspective of an integrated health system transition from cotesting to primary HPV testing among a 30- to 65-year-old cohort.

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Purpose: Trials demonstrating benefits of tamoxifen for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were published > 20 years ago; yet subsequent uptake of endocrine therapy was low. We estimated endocrine therapy initiation in women with DCIS between 2001 and 2018 in a community setting, reflecting more recent years of diagnosis than previous studies.

Methods: This retrospective cohort included adult females ≥ 20 years diagnosed with first primary DCIS between 2001 and 2018, followed through 2019, and enrolled in one of three U.

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Background: Although breast cancer survivors are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) from treatment late effects, evidence to inform long-term and age-specific cardiovascular surveillance recommendations is lacking.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 10 211 women diagnosed with first primary unilateral breast cancer in Kaiser Permanente Washington or Colorado (aged 20 years and older, survived ≥1 year). We estimated multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for associations between initial chemotherapy regimen type (anthracycline and/or trastuzumab, other chemotherapies, no chemotherapy [referent]) and CVD risk, adjusted for patient characteristics, other treatments, and CVD risk factors.

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Background: Little is known about SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity among a growing population of cancer survivors. We describe the association of infection and related hospitalization by recency of cancer diagnosis in a large U.S.

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Article Synopsis
  • The CHARM study focused on providing genetic testing and risk management for cancer to underserved populations, addressing barriers to access in low-income and low-literacy groups.
  • Conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Denver Health from 2018 to 2020, the study monitored participants for an average of 15.4 months to evaluate the use of cancer screenings and surgical procedures after receiving genetic test results.
  • Although only a small percentage of participants received actionable recommendations, those who did showed moderate engagement in risk management practices, indicating that the study successfully increased access to genetic services and preventive care without leading to overuse of these services.
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Purpose: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression, anxiety, and loneliness between those with and without a history of cancer.

Design: This prospective observational study used a quantitative approach.

Participants: Adult members of the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank ( = 104,640).

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Article Synopsis
  • Screening adherence for mammography and MRI is crucial for individuals with inherited genetic variants linked to higher breast cancer risk, yet it remains low in practice.
  • A study assessed the percentage of time individuals adhered to annual mammograms and breast MRIs, revealing an average adherence of 48% for mammograms and 34% for MRIs among those with certain genetic variants.
  • The findings suggest a need for further research to understand and improve adherence to these important screening practices, particularly for those with pathogenic variants in breast cancer-associated genes.
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Background: Breast cancer survivors are living longer due to early detection and advances in treatment and are at increased risk for second primary cancers. Comprehensive evaluation of second cancer risk among patients treated in recent decades is lacking.

Methods: We identified 16,004 females diagnosed with a first primary stage I-III breast cancer between 1990 and 2016 (followed through 2017) and survived ≥ 1 year at Kaiser Permanente (KP) Colorado, Northwest, and Washington.

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Underserved patients face substantial barriers to receiving cancer genetic services. The Cancer Health Assessments Reaching Many (CHARM) study evaluated ways to increase access to genetic testing for individuals in underserved populations at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes (HCS). Here, we report the successful implementation of CHARM in a low-resource environment and the development of sustainable processes to continue genetic risk assessment in this setting.

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Background: Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare but serious side-effect of radiotherapy to treat breast cancer, and rates are increasing in the USA. We evaluated potential co-factors in two complimentary cohorts of US breast cancer survivors.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we sourced data from the Kaiser Permanente (KP) cohort and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 registries cohort, both in the USA.

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Purpose: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its economic consequences may disproportionately impact cancer survivors and their overall health-related quality of life. The objective of this study was to examine whether cancer survivors experienced higher levels of financial strain or food insecurity compared to those without a history of cancer.

Methods: Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (KPRB) study participants were invited to complete a series of electronic surveys starting April 2020 to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Article Synopsis
  • Germline genetic testing for hereditary cancer susceptibility can lead to preventative actions like prophylactic surgeries in unaffected individuals, specifically in a study within the Kaiser Permanente Northwest health system from 2010 to 2018.
  • The study analyzed data from 1020 individuals tested for high-risk genetic variants, finding only a small percentage opted for recommended risk-reducing surgeries such as mastectomy and hysterectomy based on their results.
  • Results indicate that the use of risk-reducing surgeries is lower than expected, suggesting that other factors beyond genetic test outcomes and guidelines influence individuals' decisions to undergo prophylactic procedures, warranting further investigation.
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Purpose: Estrogen receptor (ER) + /progesterone receptor (PR) - or ER-/PR + breast cancer prognosis has not been well-described outside of clinical trials. We evaluated the relationship between ER/PR (ER + /PR-, ER-/PR + , ER + /PR + , ER-/PR-) subgroups and breast cancer-specific mortality within a general community setting in the US.

Methods: A Retrospective cohort of 11,737 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1990 and 2016 within US integrated healthcare systems (median follow-up = 7 years; 1,104 breast cancer-specific deaths) were included in this analysis.

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Background: Although combustible cigarette use is an established risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease, there is conflicting evidence for the association of electronic cigarette use with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease severity.

Methods: Study participants were from the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (KPRB), a biorepository that includes adult Kaiser Permanente members from across the United States. Starting in April 2020, electronic surveys were sent to KPRB members to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Objective: Tumor registries in integrated healthcare systems (IHCS) have high precision for identifying incident cancer but often miss recently diagnosed cancers or those diagnosed outside of the IHCS. We developed an algorithm using the electronic medical record (EMR) to identify people with a history of cancer not captured in the tumor registry to identify adults, aged 40-65 years, with no history of cancer.

Materials And Methods: The algorithm was developed at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and then applied to 7 other IHCS.

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Purpose: This retrospective cohort study examined patterns of endocrine therapy initiation over time and by demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics.

Methods: We included 7777 women from three U.S.

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Background: The Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (KPRB) is collecting biospecimens and surveys linked to electronic health records (EHR) from approximately 400,000 adult KP members. Within the KPRB, we developed a Cancer Cohort to address issues related to cancer survival, and to understand how genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors impact cancer treatment, treatment sequelae, and prognosis. We describe the Cancer Cohort design and implementation, describe cohort characteristics after 5 years of enrollment, and discuss future directions.

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This paper examines the legal and ethical aspects of traceback testing, a process in which patients who have been previously diagnosed with ovarian cancer are identified and offered genetic testing so that their family members can be informed of their genetic risk and can also choose to undergo testing. Specifically, this analysis examines the ethical and legal limits in implementing traceback testing in cases when the patient is deceased and can no longer consent to genetic testing.

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Guidelines currently state that genetic testing is clinically indicated for all individuals diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Individuals with a prior diagnosis of ovarian cancer who have not received genetic testing represent missed opportunities to identify individuals with inherited high-risk cancer variants. For deceased individuals, post-mortem genetic testing of pathology specimens allows surviving family members to receive important genetic risk information.

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Purpose: To evaluate whether limited participation in life activities is associated with quality of life (QOL) in rectal cancer survivors, and if so, whether this association is independent of bowel function difficulties.

Methods: We surveyed rectal cancer survivors from four healthcare systems about their QOL, bowel function, and participation in life activities. Additional demographic and clinical variables were extracted from the electronic health record.

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