Hereditary cancer syndromes (HCS) are responsible for up to 10% of all cancers. At present, the majority of cancer susceptibility testing is initiated after a cancer diagnosis. There exists a significant opportunity for primary care providers including general obstetrician-gynecologists to engage in hereditary cancer risk assessment through adequate family history evaluation, initiation of genetic testing, and following the recommendations of national organizations. Identifying hereditary cancer genes may prompt primary prevention efforts such as enhanced screening, prevention, or personalized care strategies. We will review the literature regarding the approach and assessment of the most common gynecologic HCS.
Background/Objectives: After several decades of using titrated paclitaxel infusions, our institution adopted non-titrated infusions in April 2023 to streamline infusion workflows. We aimed to evaluate whether this alteration in infusion was associated with a higher incidence of HSRs. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients receiving paclitaxel with titration versus non-titration from April 2022 through November 2023. Patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancers who presented for their first or second paclitaxel lifetime infusions were included. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in this study, each with one or two infusions, for a total of 282 infusion visits. There were 176 infusions performed with titrated paclitaxel (62.4%), and 106 infusions performed with non-titrated paclitaxel dose (37.6%). HSRs occurred in 20.8% of the non-titrated paclitaxel infusions and in 11.9% of titrated paclitaxel infusions (RR 1.73 (95% CI 1.006–3.006), p = 0.047). Additionally, when stratifying by first- or second-visit infusions, the HSR rate increased significantly for non-titrated infusions to 22.4% during the second visit, while there was a decrease to 8.4% for titrated infusions (RR 2.66 (95% CI 1.105–6.413), p = 0.029). Non-titrated infusion reactions were associated with higher grades of reaction. Conclusions: HSRs occurred more frequently with non-titrated infusions, particularly during the second administration, suggesting that eliminating titration may increase hypersensitivity risk. These findings support a prospective evaluation of titration rates to further refine paclitaxel administration.