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. 2023 Feb:9:e2100140.
doi: 10.1200/GO.21.00140.

Cancer Genetic Services in a Low- to Middle-Income Country: Cross-Sectional Survey Assessing Willingness to Undergo and Pay for Germline Genetic Testing

Prisca O Adejumo  1 , Toyin I G Aniagwu  2 , Olutosin A Awolude  3 , Babatunde Adedokun  4 , Makayla Kochheiser  4 , Anthonia Sowunmi  5 , Abiodun Popoola  5 , Oladosu Ojengbede  6 , Dezheng Huo  7 , Olufunmilayo I Olopade  4
Affiliations

Cancer Genetic Services in a Low- to Middle-Income Country: Cross-Sectional Survey Assessing Willingness to Undergo and Pay for Germline Genetic Testing

Prisca O Adejumo et al. JCO Glob Oncol. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: Cancer genetic testing (CGT), a pathway to personalized medicine, is also being embraced in Nigeria. However, little is known about the influence of demographics and perceptions on individuals' willingness to access and pay for CGT. This study assessed patients' willingness to undergo CGT in southwest Nigeria as a catalyst for sustainable Cancer Risk Management Program.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using semistructured questionnaire to interview 362 patients with cancer and 10 referred first-degree relatives between July 2018 and February 2020. Participants from three Nigerian teaching hospitals-University College Hospital, Ibadan, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, received genetic counseling and had subsequent CGT. Primary outcomes were willingness to undergo CGT in determining cancer risk and the willingness to pay for it. Ethical approval was from appropriate ethics committees of participating hospitals. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 22. Univariate comparison of categorical variables was performed by χ2 test, multivariate analysis by logistic regression.

Results: The participants from University College Hospital (56.2%), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (26.3%), and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (17.5%) were mostly female (98.4%). Mean age was 48.8 years ± 11.79. Three hundred twenty-two (86.6%) patients and first-degree relatives were willing to take the test, of whom 231 (71.1%) were willing to pay for it. more than half (53.6%) of the participants were willing to pay between N10,000 and N30,000, which is less than $100 US dollars. Sociodemographic variables and willingness to test showed no association (P > .05). Education and ethnicity were found to be associated with their willingness to pay for CGT (P ≤ .05).

Conclusion: Learning clinically relevant details toward cancer prevention informs health-related decisions in patients and relatives, a motivator for willingness to pay for genetic testing in low- and middle-income countries. Increased awareness may influence outcomes of cancer risk management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/go/authors/author-center.

Open Payments is a public database containing information reported by companies about payments made to US-licensed physicians (Open Payments).

Babatunde Adedokun

Employment: Amgen

Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Amgen

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade

Employment: CancerIQ (I)

Leadership: CancerIQ

Stock and Other Ownership Interests: CancerIQ, Tempus, 54gene, HealthWell Solutions

Research Funding: Novartis (Inst), Roche/Genentech (Inst), Cepheid (Inst), Color Genomics (Inst), Ayala Pharmaceuticals (Inst)

Other Relationship: Tempus, Color Genomics, Roche/Genentech

Uncompensated Relationships: Healthy Life for All Foundation

Open Payments Link: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/olopade

No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Respondents’ willingness to undergo cancer genetic test and pay for the test. CGT, cancer genetic testing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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