Bridging the Gap Between Treatment and Prevention
At the intersection of cancer treatment and prevention, Dr. Melissa Frey—a gynecologic oncologist, cancer geneticist, and researcher based in New York City—has long recognized the critical importance of early cancer risk assessment. Dr. Frey identified a persistent challenge: traditional family history collection methods were inefficient, incomplete, and burdensome for both providers and patients. “There must be a better way,” she thought. And so began her journey to explore digital solutions.
The Study: Putting Progeny® to the Test
Dr. Frey and her team conducted a randomized controlled trial titled Web-based tool for cancer family history collection: A prospective randomized controlled trial .1 The study enrolled 250 patients and compared two workflows:
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Traditional Workflow: Family history collected in-person by a clinician during the appointment.
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Digital Workflow: Patients completed the Progeny questionnaire online before their visit or in the office directly prior to their visit.
Progeny is a digital platform that collects medical and family history information, documents it in the form of a pedigree, can then perform risk assessments for both hereditary cancer risk and lifetime cancer risk using multiple validated models, and more.
“From the Very First Moment of the Clinical Visit”
The results were compelling: only 5% of patients in the traditional group were found to have adequate family history documentation, compared to 60% of patients in the Progeny group. Dr. Frey says their practice was excited about the information that could be available to providers upon meeting with their patients. The digital approach didn’t just improve documentation—it changed clinical behavior. “When we use this type of technology, we refer more patients to genetic counseling and perform more genetic testing,” Dr. Frey noted.
Improving Upon Traditional Methods
Collecting a thorough family history during a clinical visit is, in Dr. Frey’s words, “extraordinarily difficult.” Providers and patients have a lot to cover together during their limited and valuable time together. Not only is it difficult for providers to collect family history data and complete a thorough and accurate risk assessment on the spot, it’s challenging for patients to recall family history details especially while anxious or overwhelmed. Dr. Frey points out, “To achieve that level of information would take an entire new patient visit.” With Progeny, that information is already in hand—freeing up valuable clinic time, reducing stress, and turning data into a valuable risk assessment.
Progeny: A Seamless, Scalable Solution
While implementing a digital tool like Progeny requires some upfront work, Dr. Frey says the payoff is clear: “It becomes streamlined and improves efficiency overall.” She calls Progeny a “fantastic tool for collecting a comprehensive cancer family history.” Progeny leverages the industry’s most extensive set of validated risk models, allowing for more precise, evidence-based risk assessment.
A Mission Beyond Treatment
Dr. Frey’s passion for treating gynecologic cancers is matched by her commitment to prevention. Embracing digital risk assessment tools like Progeny allows her to do both—treat cancer today and help prevent it tomorrow. As treatments for gynecologic cancers advance, patients value a comprehensive understanding of their risk, enabling them to make more informed decisions about screening and reducing the risk of future cancers. Stay tuned for the second blog in this series, which will delve deeper into this topic.
As we recognize Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, we celebrate all of the providers that support prevention, early detection, and better outcomes for every patient, and we embrace the tools that make this mission possible.
Watch our interview with Dr. Frey here.
1. Frey MK, Ahsan MD, Webster E, et al. Web-based tool for cancer family history collection: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Gynecol Oncol. 2023;173:22-30. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.04.001
