2065 Background: Despite being potentially curable with early detection and timely treatment, breast (BC) and cervical cancers (CC) remain leading causes of death for Colombian women. Lack of cancer screening education, tedious administrative processes, and geographical limitations hinder early cancer detection. Today, technological tools permeate all levels of society and could gather data for user risk stratification, deliver clear and customized information, and help with care coordination, tracking, and addressing communication, transportation, and financial barriers. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a free mobile application (mApp) to reach women, understand misconceptions about cancer screening, identify users at risk for BC and CC, and coordinate screening tests in Cali, Colombia. Methods: The mApp, Ámate, was developed over 4 months and advertised to women (≥14 years) in waiting rooms of 4 healthcare facilities in Cali, Colombia for 23 months. Ámate used educational, evaluative, and risk factor questions followed by brief explanations to assess the population’s knowledge, educate users on BC and CC, and identify users in need of BC and/or CC screenings. Correct answers yielded points redeemable for cellular data. Women who required screening were subsequently navigated to a healthcare provider and enrolled in the national cancer program. Results: From August 2017-August 2019, 1,043 women from Cali downloaded Ámate and answered all questions. Misconceptions about BC included beliefs that BC can be prevented (87%), obesity does not increase the risk of BC (49%), deodorant causes BC (17%), and only women with a relative with BC can get BC (16%). For CC, misconceptions included that pap smears should not be performed while sexually active (64%), vaginal pain is an early sign of CC (44%), and only women contract HPV (33%). Overall, 31.5% (329) were identified as at-risk and needed a mammogram and/or pap smear. So far, 30% (98) were successfully navigated and completed their recommended screening test(s). Barriers to enrollment in these programs included patient unwillingness, using fake contact information, limited available appointments, and denied access due to healthcare coverage. Conclusions: Ámate is an accessible tool that identifies women at-risk for breast and cervical cancer and detects barriers to early cancer detection. Administrative obstacles exist and must be addressed to improve early cancer detection/screening. Ámate is currently being tested in other areas of Colombia and may be useful in other underserved countries.
Potential impact of family history–based screening guidelines on the detection of early‐onset colorectal cancer