The comprehensiveness of family cancer history assessments in primary care.
BACKGROUND
Accurate family history information is required for adequate breast and colorectal cancer risk assessments. Few studies have examined the comprehensiveness of the family medical history interview in primary care.


METHODS
We compared family cancer history information collected through a self-completed survey with that documented within medical charts for 310 patients.


RESULTS
Forty-three percent (18/42) of individuals at increased risk for breast or colorectal cancer based on their family history had documentation of this risk within their chart. Age of cancer diagnosis was recorded for 40% (50/124) of affected relatives identified by chart review compared with 81% (203/252) identified through the survey (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Over half of the individuals at increased risk for breast or colorectal cancer based on their family history did not have documentation of this risk within their medical record, and the age of relatives at diagnosis was frequently missing.
Murff
Harvey J
HJ
Division of General Internal Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212-2637, USA. harvey.murff@va.gov
Greevy
Robert A
RA
Syngal
Sapna
S
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D004282:Documentation; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008499:Medical Records; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States