7. Risk Management: Guidelines and Strategies

Cumulative risk assessment (CRA) addresses the combined risk associated with chemical and non-chemical exposures. Although CRA approaches are utilized in environmental and ecological contexts, they are rarely applied in workplaces. In this perspectives article, we strive to raise awareness among occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and foster the greater adoption of a CRA perspective in practice. Specifically, we provide an overview of CRA literature as well as preliminary guidance on when to consider a CRA approach in occupational settings and how to establish reasonable boundaries. Examples of possible workplace co-exposures and voluntary risk management actions are discussed. We also highlight important implications for workplace CRA research and practice. In particular, future needs include simple tools for identifying combinations of chemical and non-chemical exposures, uniform risk management guidelines, and risk communication materials. Further development of practical CRA methods and tools are essential to meet the needs of complex and changing work environments.

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Comparing actionable results for breast and colorectal cancer patients across multigene panels.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.15_suppl.e13109 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e13109-e13109

Author(s):

Kelly Fulk ◽

Carin Espenschied ◽

Jessica Profato ◽

Patrick Reineke ◽

Holly LaDuca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Risk Management ◽

High Risk ◽

Management Guidelines ◽

Commercial Laboratory ◽

Impact Risk ◽

Colorectal Cancer Patients ◽

The Impact ◽

Positive Results ◽

Cancer Panel

e13109 Background: Many multigene panel (MGP) options are available for hereditary cancer testing. Previously, management guidelines were only published for a few high-risk genes, but now such guidelines exist for most genes on MGPs. Many clinicians question which MGP(s) may be most appropriate for their patients. We examined the likelihood of a positive result for patients diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) or colorectal cancer (CRC) across several MGPs and assessed the potential impact of these results on patient care. Methods: Positive results, defined by the presence of at least one pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant, were assessed for patients with BC or CRC across various MGPs ordered 6/2012-6/2016 at one commercial laboratory. For BC, the MGPs used for comparison were a high-risk BC panel (up to 6 genes), a comprehensive BC panel (up to 17 genes), and a multi-cancer panel (up to 32 genes). For CRC, a comprehensive CRC panel (up to 17 genes) was compared to the 32 gene multi-cancer panel. Results: For both BC and CRC patients, the utilization of a MGP with more genes led to more positive results than a MGP with fewer genes, with the vast majority of additional findings occurring in genes with published management guidelines (Table). Conclusions: The majority of positive results occurring in genes on larger MGPs, but not smaller MGPs, are in genes with published management guidelines.These results can impact treatment decisions and cancer risk management, including earlier and/or more frequent screening, chemoprevention, and/or other measures. In some cases, positive results occurred in genes not associated with the patient’s cancer diagnosis, but may still impact risk management for other cancer(s). Further studies are needed to determine the impact of larger MGPs on clinical outcomes for patients and their families. [Table: see text]

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