Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria

This study presents a 5-year retrospective analysis of genetic counseling (GC) services for hereditary cancer syndromes (HCS) at a single center in Bulgaria. The aim is to describe the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients seeking GC, the uptake of genetic testing, and the spec...

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Main Authors: Mari Hachmeriyan, Mariya Levkova, Dinnar Yahya, Milena Stoyanova, Eleonora Dimitrova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Oncology Reviews
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/or.2025.1605606/full
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author Mari Hachmeriyan
Mari Hachmeriyan
Mariya Levkova
Mariya Levkova
Dinnar Yahya
Dinnar Yahya
Milena Stoyanova
Milena Stoyanova
Eleonora Dimitrova
author_facet Mari Hachmeriyan
Mari Hachmeriyan
Mariya Levkova
Mariya Levkova
Dinnar Yahya
Dinnar Yahya
Milena Stoyanova
Milena Stoyanova
Eleonora Dimitrova
author_sort Mari Hachmeriyan
collection DOAJ
description This study presents a 5-year retrospective analysis of genetic counseling (GC) services for hereditary cancer syndromes (HCS) at a single center in Bulgaria. The aim is to describe the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients seeking GC, the uptake of genetic testing, and the spectrum of identified pathogenic variants. The results highlight an increasing trend in GC utilization. Key findings include differences in patient profiles between those seeking general HCS assessment and those undergoing tumor biomarker testing, the impact of financial accessibility on genetic testing uptake, and a pathogenic variant detection rate of 28% in tested individuals. The most frequently identified conditions were Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome and Lynch Syndrome, with pathogenic variants detected in genes such as BRCA1, MSH2, PALB2, and STK11. These findings underscore the need for enhanced awareness, improved financial access to testing, and the establishment of systematic cascade screening programs in Bulgaria.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1970-5557
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Oncology Reviews
spelling doaj-art-2392cb045a8f40f4aedc26b91c090ceb2025-08-20T03:55:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Oncology Reviews1970-55572025-07-011910.3389/or.2025.16056061605606Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in BulgariaMari Hachmeriyan0Mari Hachmeriyan1Mariya Levkova2Mariya Levkova3Dinnar Yahya4Dinnar Yahya5Milena Stoyanova6Milena Stoyanova7Eleonora Dimitrova8Medical University Varna, Department of Medical Genetics, Varna, BulgariaLaboratory of Medical Genetics, University Hospital “Sveta Marina”, Varna, BulgariaMedical University Varna, Department of Medical Genetics, Varna, BulgariaLaboratory of Medical Genetics, University Hospital “Sveta Marina”, Varna, BulgariaMedical University Varna, Department of Medical Genetics, Varna, BulgariaLaboratory of Medical Genetics, University Hospital “Sveta Marina”, Varna, BulgariaMedical University Varna, Department of Medical Genetics, Varna, BulgariaLaboratory of Medical Genetics, University Hospital “Sveta Marina”, Varna, BulgariaMedical University Varna, Department of Oncology, Varna, BulgariaThis study presents a 5-year retrospective analysis of genetic counseling (GC) services for hereditary cancer syndromes (HCS) at a single center in Bulgaria. The aim is to describe the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients seeking GC, the uptake of genetic testing, and the spectrum of identified pathogenic variants. The results highlight an increasing trend in GC utilization. Key findings include differences in patient profiles between those seeking general HCS assessment and those undergoing tumor biomarker testing, the impact of financial accessibility on genetic testing uptake, and a pathogenic variant detection rate of 28% in tested individuals. The most frequently identified conditions were Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome and Lynch Syndrome, with pathogenic variants detected in genes such as BRCA1, MSH2, PALB2, and STK11. These findings underscore the need for enhanced awareness, improved financial access to testing, and the establishment of systematic cascade screening programs in Bulgaria.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/or.2025.1605606/fullhereditary cancertumor predisposition syndromesgenetic counselinggenetic testingHBOCLynch Syndrome
spellingShingle Mari Hachmeriyan
Mari Hachmeriyan
Mariya Levkova
Mariya Levkova
Dinnar Yahya
Dinnar Yahya
Milena Stoyanova
Milena Stoyanova
Eleonora Dimitrova
Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
Oncology Reviews
hereditary cancer
tumor predisposition syndromes
genetic counseling
genetic testing
HBOC
Lynch Syndrome
title Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
title_full Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
title_fullStr Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
title_full_unstemmed Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
title_short Genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes: a 5-year experience from a single center in Bulgaria
title_sort genetic counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes a 5 year experience from a single center in bulgaria
topic hereditary cancer
tumor predisposition syndromes
genetic counseling
genetic testing
HBOC
Lynch Syndrome
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/or.2025.1605606/full
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