Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Sep:7:e2300123.
doi: 10.1200/CCI.23.00123.

Chatbot Artificial Intelligence for Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment and Counseling: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Emily M Webster  1 , Muhammad Danyal Ahsan  1 , Luiza Perez  1 , Sarah R Levi  1 , Charlene Thomas  1 , Paul Christos  1 , Andy Hickner  1 , Jada G Hamilton  2 , Kemi Babagbemi  1 , Evelyn Cantillo  1 , Kevin Holcomb  1 , Eloise Chapman-Davis  1 , Ravi N Sharaf  1 , Melissa K Frey  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Chatbot Artificial Intelligence for Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment and Counseling: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Emily M Webster et al. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2023 Sep.

Erratum in

Abstract

Purpose: Most individuals with a hereditary cancer syndrome are unaware of their genetic status to underutilization of hereditary cancer risk assessment. Chatbots, or programs that use artificial intelligence to simulate conversation, have emerged as a promising tool in health care and, more recently, as a potential tool for genetic cancer risk assessment and counseling. Here, we evaluated the existing literature on the use of chatbots in genetic cancer risk assessment and counseling.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using key electronic databases to identify studies which use chatbots for genetic cancer risk assessment and counseling. Eligible studies were further subjected to meta-analysis.

Results: Seven studies met inclusion criteria, evaluating five distinct chatbots. Three studies evaluated a chatbot that could perform genetic cancer risk assessment, one study evaluated a chatbot that offered patient counseling, and three studies included both functions. The pooled estimated completion rate for the genetic cancer risk assessment was 36.7% (95% CI, 14.8 to 65.9). Two studies included comprehensive patient characteristics, and none involved a comparison group. Chatbots varied as to the involvement of a health care provider in the process of risk assessment and counseling.

Conclusion: Chatbots have been used to streamline genetic cancer risk assessment and counseling and hold promise for reducing barriers to genetic services. Data regarding user and nonuser characteristics are lacking, as are data regarding comparative effectiveness to usual care. Future research may consider the impact of chatbots on equitable access to genetic services.

PubMed Disclaimer

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/cci/author-center.

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

Charlene Thomas

Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Nektar, Pfizer

Andy Hickner

Other Relationship: Wolters Kluwer

Kemi Babagbemi

Consulting or Advisory Role: Iwosan Health Care

Kevin Holcomb

Research Funding: Fujirebio Diagnostics

Expert Testimony: Johnson and Johnson, Inc

No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Figures

FIG 1.
FIG 1.
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram.
FIG 2.
FIG 2.
Pooled proportion for (A) completion of chatbot genetic cancer risk assessment, (B) eligibility for genetic testing, (C) having genetic testing ordered, and (D) identifying a cancer-predisposing pathogenic variant.
FIG 3.
FIG 3.
Funnel plots for (A) completion of chatbot genetic cancer risk assessment, (B) eligibility for genetic testing, (C) having genetic testing ordered, and (D) identifying a cancer-predisposing pathogenic variant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zhang J, Walsh MF, Wu G, et al. : Germline mutations in predisposition genes in pediatric cancer. N Engl J Med 373:2336-2346, 2015 - PMC - PubMed
    1. de Jong AE, Hendriks YM, Kleibeuker JH, et al. : Decrease in mortality in Lynch syndrome families because of surveillance. Gastroenterology 130:665-671, 2006 - PubMed
    1. Engel C, Rahner N, Schulmann K, et al. : Efficacy of annual colonoscopic surveillance in individuals with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 8:174-182, 2010 - PubMed
    1. Evans DG, Harkness EF, Howell A, et al. : Intensive breast screening in BRCA2 mutation carriers is associated with reduced breast cancer specific and all cause mortality. Hered Cancer Clin Pract 14:8, 2016 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ludwig KK, Neuner J, Butler A, et al. : Risk reduction and survival benefit of prophylactic surgery in BRCA mutation carriers, a systematic review. Am J Surg 212:660-669, 2016 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources