Prevalence and healthcare actions of women in a large health system with a family history meeting the 2005 USPSTF recommendation for BRCA genetic counseling referral.

Background: In 2005, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released guidelines which outlined specific family history patterns associated with an increased risk for BRCA1/2 mutations, and recommended at-risk individuals be referred for genetic counseling and evaluation for BRCA testing. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of individuals with a USPSTF increased-risk family history pattern, the frequency with which specific patterns were met, and resulting healthcare actions among women from the Henry Ford Health System.

Methods: As part of a study evaluating ovarian cancer risk perception and screening, 2,524 randomly selected participants completed a detailed interview (response rate 76%) from an initial eligible cohort of 16,720 women.

Results: Approximately 6% of participants had a family history fulfilling one or more of the USPSTF patterns. Although 90% of these women had shared their family history with their provider, less than 20% had been referred for genetic counseling and only 8% had undergone genetic testing. Caucasian women with higher income and education levels were more likely to receive referrals. Among the 95 participants in the total study cohort who reported BRCA testing, 78% did not have a family history that met one of the USPSTF patterns.

Conclusions: These results suggest a higher prevalence of women with an increased-risk family history than originally predicted by the USPSTF, and lack of provider recognition and referral for genetic services.

Impact: Improvements in healthcare infrastructure and clinician education will be required to realize population level benefits from BRCA genetic counseling and testing.