scholarly journals Disclosure of clinically actionable genetic variants to thoracic aortic dissection biobank participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelyn Beil ◽  
Whitney Hornsby ◽  
Wendy R. Uhlmann ◽  
Rajani Aatre ◽  
Patricia Arscott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Average Cost ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Thoracic Aortic Dissection ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Genetic Results

Abstract Background Disclosure of pathogenic variants to thoracic aortic dissection biobank participants was implemented. The impact and costs, including confirmatory genetic testing in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified laboratory, were evaluated. Methods We exome sequenced 240 cases with thoracic aortic dissection and 258 controls, then examined 11 aortopathy genes. Pathogenic variants in 6 aortopathy genes (COL3A1, FBN1, LOX, PRKG1, SMAD3, and TGFBR2) were identified in 26 participants, representing 10.8% of the cohort (26/240). A second research sample was used to validate the initial findings. Mailed letters to participants disclosed that a potentially disease causing DNA alteration had been identified (neither the gene nor variant was disclosed). Participants were offered clinical genetic counseling and confirmatory genetic testing in a CLIA laboratory. Results Excluding 6 participants who were deceased or lost to follow-up, 20 participants received the disclosure letter, 10 of whom proceeded with genetic counseling, confirmatory genetic testing, and enrolled in a survey study. Participants reported satisfaction with the letter (4.2 ± 0.7) and genetic counseling (4.4 ± 0.4; [out of 5, respectively]). The psychosocial impact was characterized by low decisional regret (11.5 ± 11.6) and distress (16.0 ± 4.2, [out of 100, respectively]). The average cost for 26 participants was $400, including validation and sending letters. The average cost for those who received genetic counseling and CLIA laboratory confirmation was $605. Conclusions Participants were satisfied with the return of clinically significant biobank genetic results and CLIA laboratory testing; however, the process required significant time and resources. These findings illustrate the trade-offs involved for researchers considering returning research genetic results.

scholarly journals A post mortem assessment of a 25-year-old man with ascending aortic dissection and a novel MYLK variant

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelyn Hodge ◽  
Katherine G. Spoonamore ◽  
Christopher B. Griffith ◽  
David D. Weaver ◽  
Patricia B.S. Celestino-Soper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Aortic Aneurysm ◽  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm ◽  
Aortic Rupture ◽  
Clinical Consequence ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Variant Of Uncertain Significance ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Aortic Aneurysm And Dissection

We report on the process of <em>post mortem</em> evaluation and genetic testing following the death of a 25-year-old man due to ascending aortic dissection leading to aortic rupture. Following the negative clinical testing of a 12- gene thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection panel, research testing revealed a novel c.5732A&gt;T (p.E1911V) variant in exon 34 of the MYLK gene (NM_053025). Two likely pathogenic variants in this gene have been reported previously in individuals with familial thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. Given the unclear clinical consequence of the variant found in our proband, we have classified this change as a variant of uncertain significance. In addition to discussing the complexity involved in variant interpretation, we recognize the need for additional research for more accurate <em>MYLK</em> interpretation. Finally, we comment on the unique challenges of <em>post mortem</em> genetic testing.

Ethical Issues in Genetic Research with Infants

2018 ◽  
pp. 155-171
Author(s):  
Erin Rothwell ◽  
Jeffrey R. Botkin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
Research Use ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Genetic Results

There are a number of ethical issues raised when newborns participate in research. Two examples include genetic testing, and the storage and research use of biospecimens collected from newborns. This chapter highlights a range of ethical, legal, and social implications with these practices. Examples from retention of residual newborn screening bloodspots, use of biospecimens collected from infants in biomedical research, concerns with the use of whole genome sequencing, and challenges of consent during the newborn period are discussed. These issues are explored within the context of newborns who are healthy or newborns faced with an undiagnosed condition. At this time, more research is needed to understand the impact of genomics on newborn health care, the storage and use of data generated from biospecimens, and how genetic results from newborns impact families. Further challenges around consent and parental permission are also discussed.

scholarly journals Clinical implications of identifying pathogenic variants in aortic dissection patients with whole exome sequencing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke N. Wolford ◽  
Whitney E. Hornsby
Keyword(s):  
Family History ◽  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Exome Sequencing ◽  
Whole Exome Sequencing ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Aortic Disease ◽  
Thoracic Aortic Dissection ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Whole Exome ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACTBackgroundThoracic aortic dissection is an emergent life-threatening condition. Routine screening for genetic variants causing thoracic aortic dissection is not currently performed for patients or their family members.MethodsWe performed whole exome sequencing of 240 patients with thoracic aortic dissection (n=235) or rupture (n=5) and 258 controls matched for age, sex, and ancestry. Blinded to case-control status, we annotated variants in 11 genes for pathogenicity.ResultsTwenty-four pathogenic variants in 6 genes (COL3A1, FBN1, LOX, PRKG1, SMAD3, TGFBR2) were identified in 26 individuals, representing 10.8% of aortic cases and 0% of controls. Among dissection cases, we compared those with pathogenic variants to those without and found that pathogenic variant carriers had significantly earlier onset of dissection (41 vs. 57 years), higher rates of root aneurysm (54% vs. 30%), less hypertension (15% vs. 57%), lower rates of smoking (19% vs. 45%), and greater incidence of aortic disease in family members. Multivariable logistic regression showed significant risk factors associated with pathogenic variants are age <50 [odds ratio (OR) = 5.5; 95% CI: 1.6-19.7], no history of hypertension (OR=5.6; 95% CI: 1.4-22.3) and family history of aortic disease (mother: OR=5.7; 95% CI: 1.4-22.3, siblings: OR=5.1; 95% CI 1.1-23.9, children: OR=6.0; 95% CI: 1.4-26.7).ConclusionsClinical genetic testing of known hereditary thoracic aortic dissection genes should be considered in patients with aortic dissection, followed by cascade screening of family members, especially in patients with age-of-onset of aortic dissection <50 years old, family history of aortic disease, and no history of hypertension.

scholarly journals Impact of Genetic Testing for Cardiomyopathy on Emotional Well-Being and Family Dynamics: A Study of Parents and Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Ahimaz ◽  
Maya Sabatello ◽  
Min Qian ◽  
Aijin Wang ◽  
Erin M. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Family History ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Predictive Testing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Assessment Device ◽  
Hereditary Cardiomyopathy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Genetic Results

Background: Genetic testing is indicated for children with a personal or family history of hereditary cardiomyopathy to determine appropriate management and inform risk stratification for family members. The implications of a positive genetic result for children can potentially impact emotional well-being. Given the nuances of cardiomyopathy genetic testing for minors, this study aimed to understand how parents involve their children in the testing process and investigate the impact of genetic results on family dynamics. Methods: A survey was distributed to participants recruited from the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation and 7 North American sites in the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry. The survey explored adolescent and parent participants’ emotions upon receiving their/their child’s genetic results, parent-child result communication and its impact on family functionality, using the McMaster Family Assessment Device. Results: One hundred sixty-two parents of minors and 48 adolescents who were offered genetic testing for a personal or family history of cardiomyopathy completed the survey. Parents whose child had cardiomyopathy were more likely to disclose positive diagnostic genetic results to their child ( P =0.014). Parents with unaffected children and positive predictive testing results were more likely to experience negative emotions about the result ( P ≤0.001) but also had better family functioning scores than those with negative predictive results ( P =0.019). Most adolescents preferred results communicated directly to the child, but parents were divided about whether their child’s result should first be released to them or their child. Conclusions: These findings have important considerations for how providers structure genetic services for adolescents and facilitate discussion between parents and their children about results.

scholarly journals BRCA testing in women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer: gynecologic oncologist-initiated testing compared with genetics referral

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1757-1761
Author(s):  
Sabrina Piedimonte ◽  
Joanne Power ◽  
William D Foulkes ◽  
Evan Weber ◽  
Laura Palma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Median Time ◽  
High Grade ◽  
Peritoneal Carcinoma ◽  
Gynecologic Oncologist ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Cancer Susceptibility Genes ◽  
Genetics Referral

ObjectiveUp to 15% of patients with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma harbor a mutation in BRCA genes. Early notion of mutation status may facilitate counseling, predict prognosis, and increase access to Parp-inhibitors. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of germline genetic testing in a retrospective cohort of women with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma to determine if a new pilot project of gynecologic oncologist-initiated genetic testing improved the rate of testing, after 1 year of implementation.MethodsGynecologic oncology-initiated genetic testing was implemented at a single university hospital center with input and collaboration from gynecological oncologists, nurses, and genetic counselors. All patients diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma after August 2017 were offered gynecologic oncologist- initiated genetic testing for a panel of 13 hereditary breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes. Data from this group was then compared with a historic cohort of patients who received traditional genetic counseling between January 2014 and August 2017 (control group). Patients that had genetic testing through a clinical trial were excluded. The primary outcome was the uptake of genetic testing in both groups. Secondary outcomes included difference in time from diagnosis to genetic result between both cohorts. Data was analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and medians (ranges) were reported.ResultsA total of 152 women with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma were included in this study. Between January 2014 to July 2017 there were 108 patients with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma, among which 50.9% (n=54) underwent genetic testing following referral to genetics. The prevalence of BRCA pathogenic variants was 25.9% (14/54): 9.2% (5/54) in BRCA1 and 16.7% (9/54) in BRCA2. The median time from diagnosis to genetics referral was 53 days (range; 3–751), and median time from diagnosis to test result disclosure was 186 days (range; 15–938). After 1 year of implementation of the gynecologic oncologist-initiated genetic testing model, among 44 women diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma, 86.2% underwent genetic testing. The median time from diagnosis to result disclosure decreased to 58 days, representing a reduction of 128 days, or 4.27 months (P<0.001). Reasons for non-testing included refusal, death, and follow-up at another hospital. The prevalence of germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants was 21% (8/38).ConclusionGynecologic oncologist-initiated genetic testing at the time of high-grade serous ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma diagnosis leads to increased uptake and decreased delays in testing compared with referral for traditional genetic counseling.

Postmortem genetic testing should be recommended in sudden cardiac death cases due to thoracic aortic dissection

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
pp. 1211-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Gago-Díaz ◽  
Eva Ramos-Luis ◽  
Silvia Zoppis ◽  
Esther Zorio ◽  
Pilar Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Sudden Cardiac Death ◽  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Cardiac Death ◽  
Thoracic Aortic Dissection ◽  
Death Cases ◽  
Postmortem Genetic Testing

FDA Approval of PARP Inhibitors and the Impact on Genetic Counseling and Genetic Testing Practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Buchtel ◽  
Kristen J. Vogel Postula ◽  
Shelly Weiss ◽  
Carmen Williams ◽  
Mario Pineda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Parp Inhibitors ◽  
Fda Approval ◽  
Testing Practices ◽  
The Impact

The impact of converting to telehealth for cancer genetic counseling and testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e13612-e13612
Author(s):  
Katherine Crawford ◽  
Ekaterina Koelliker ◽  
Ellie Proussaloglou ◽  
Jessica Laprise ◽  
Jennifer Scalia Wilbur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Saliva Sample ◽  
Cancer Genetic Counseling ◽  
Testing Time ◽  
Cancer Genetic ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

e13612 Background: The COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 resulted in the shift to telemedicine for many specialties including cancer genetic counseling (GC). We sought to understand the impact that converting GC services to telehealth (TH) would have on patient acceptance of recommended genetic testing, time to completion of testing, and time to follow-up GC consultation. Methods: Data analyzing GC in-patient vs. TH consultations were collected using both electronic medical record as well as a laboratory’s testing portal. Statistical analysis was performed using R statistical software. The rates of patient agreement to genetic testing and sample success, along with the time to report availability and to GC follow-up visit was compared between traditional in-person visits and TH visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person visits from March -July 2019 were compared with date matched visits from March -July 2020, when all visits had been converted to TH. Patients who received an in-person consultation received a blood draw on the day of their appointment while TH patients were asked to mail a saliva sample back to the testing laboratory. Results: An analysis of a case-matched cohort between 2019 in-person new visits (n = 30) and 2020 TH new visits (n = 48) was performed. There was not a significant difference in rate of consent to suggested testing between in-person (93.3%) and TH (91.2%) (p = 0.29), though a few TH patients who consented failed to submit a sample (% tested = 93.3% vs. 85.4%, p = 0.01). TH patients had a longer time between their initial consult and when the test report was generated with average turn-around time increasing from 14.33 to 33.82 days (p < 0.1). There was no increase in time from initial consultation to follow up GC appointments (70.46 vs. 75.96 days, p = 0.74) for TH and in-person, respectively. Conclusions: Our data shows that during COVID-19, TH allowed patients to access GC with no significant differences in the length of time between initial consultation and follow up appointments. The type of GC received did not greatly influence a patient’s willingness to consent to testing, despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that TH services may be an acceptable substitute. However, TH services are not without their limitations as time between the initial appointment and receipt of test results was significantly longer and sample failure rates were higher. We postulate that the delay was due to the time it took to ship the saliva kit, have the patient collect the sample at home, and return the specimen back to the lab rather than the immediate blood draw that occurs during the in-person visit. The higher sample failure rate seen in TH is likely due to the differences between blood and saliva collections. Additional research is needed to fully understand the outcomes observed in this study in order to assist in developing the most effective strategies for cancer genetic TH services.

Ten-fold increase in genetic testing in pancreatic and metastatic prostate cancer with implementation of point of care (POC) testing.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1506-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Symecko ◽  
Rebecca Mueller ◽  
Kelsey Spielman ◽  
Melissa Batson ◽  
Stacy Pundock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Before And After Study

1506 Background: Germline genetic testing (GT) for cancer susceptibility is recommended for pancreatic and advanced prostate cancer patients, due to potential implications for targeted therapies and risk assessment of family members. Traditional cancer GT programs may create barriers for certain patient populations. To more effectively integrate testing into standard oncology care POC GT was introduced in early 2018 in a joint protocol with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Here we report pre and post POC referral and testing numbers at the University of Pennsylvania. Methods: Patients with metastatic prostate or pancreatic cancer were ascertained through their GU/GI oncologist onto an IRB approved protocol and shown an educational video about GT by research staff who obtained informed consent and facilitated biospecimen collection. Genetic counselors returned results and provided post-test counseling by phone. To evaluate the impact of this model on the uptake of GT services, the number of patients who were referred to and proceeded with GT was compared before and after study initiation. Results: In 2017, 77 patients were referred to genetics of which 45 underwent genetic counseling and testing. Twenty-nine (38%) did not complete genetic counseling or testing, and 3 later underwent testing through the POC study. Since the study launched in 2018, 407 patients were referred and underwent testing through the study. This represents a ten-fold increase in patients who underwent GT. Conclusions: Comparing uptake of GT services before and after study initiation suggests that a POC model with abbreviated pre-test education and post-test genetic counseling by phone is a possible solution to barriers of traditional genetic counseling, increasing physician referrals and uptake of testing by patients. This approach allows for more timely access to genetic information that may impact treatment strategies and medical management of family members. Clinical trial information: pending. [Table: see text]

Aortic progression and reintervention in patients with pathogenic variants after a thoracic aortic dissection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Norton ◽  
Whitney E. Hornsby ◽  
Xiaoting Wu ◽  
Brooke N. Wolford ◽  
Sarah E. Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Thoracic Aortic Dissection ◽  
Pathogenic Variants
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