Knowledge of Lynch syndrome among obstetrician/gynecologists and general surgeons

Abstract

Objective: To determine comfort and knowledge among obstetrician/gynecologists and general surgeons regarding recommendations for cancer screening for women with Lynch syndrome.

Methods: A questionnaire on Lynch syndrome was administered to all obstetrician/gynecologists and general surgeons at a hospital in New York, USA.

Results: Fifty obstetrician/gynecologists and 62 general surgeons completed the survey (67% response rate). Physicians were more comfortable counseling on colon cancer than endometrial cancer screening (51% vs 28%; P<0.001). Obstetrician/gynecologists were more comfortable than general surgeons counseling patients on endometrial cancer screening (36% vs 21%; P=0.090) but less comfortable counseling patients on colon cancer screening (36% vs 63%; P=0.008). There was no significant difference between the specialties in the number of knowledge-based questions answered correctly. Furthermore, there was no correlation between a physician's perceived knowledge and number of correct answers.

Conclusion: Most physicians did not report being comfortable counseling about recommendations for endometrial cancer screening. While obstetrician/gynecologists reported greater comfort than general surgeons, we found no significant difference in disease knowledge between the groups. Because appropriate cancer screening can improve the outcomes of patients with Lynch syndrome, physicians must be knowledgeable and comfortable with screening recommendations for both endometrial and colon cancer, regardless of clinical specialty.

Keywords: Colon cancer screening; Endometrial cancer screening; Lynch syndrome; Physician knowledge.