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ArticleJMIR research protocols2025

Barriers and Facilitators in Diagnostic Pathways That Align Universal Tumor Screening and Mainstream Genetic Testing for Lynch Syndrome in Colorectal Cancer: Protocol for a Scoping Review With a Narrative Synthesis.

Linda Battistuzzi, Eva Blondeaux, Alberto Puccini, Luca Boni, Federica Grillo, Lucia Trevisan, Liliana Varesco, Maria Stefania Sciallero

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Linda BattistuzziMedical Oncology Unit 2, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2340-3059
Eva BlondeauxClinical Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9566-4579
Alberto PucciniDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2492-4043
Luca BoniClinical Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2217-4047
Federica GrilloAnatomic Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6477-3182
Lucia TrevisanHereditary Cancer Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8608-4342
Liliana VarescoHereditary Cancer Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4871-6668
Maria Stefania ScialleroMedical Oncology Unit 1, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1325-1701

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproximately 3% of colorectal cancers (CRCs) are due to Lynch syndrome (LS), a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by pathogenic variants (PVs) in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Patients with CRC and LS have elevated lifetime risks for a range of cancers and require personalized treatment and targeted surveillance. Relatives of people affected by LS who share the same PV also have elevated cancer risks and can benefit from preventive measures and/or risk-reducing surgeries. Despite this, LS remains vastly underdiagnosed. Universal tumor screening (UTS) for deficient MMR is recommended in diagnosing LS in patients with CRC. This process, when combined with genetic testing (GT) offered within routine cancer care (termed "mainstream GT"), aims to identify individuals at risk efficiently, but integrating UTS and mainstream GT for LS in CRC is a complex endeavor.

objectiveThe aim of the proposed scoping review will be to comprehensively explore the literature on diagnostic pathways comprising UTS and mainstream GT for LS among patients with CRC and barriers and facilitators in their implementation.

methodsThe scoping review will follow Arksey and O'Malley's expanded framework. Results will be reported following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines and summarized quantitatively. A narrative synthesis will also be performed using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

resultsThe results will be presented in a forthcoming scoping review, which we expect to publish in a peer-reviewed journal by early 2026.

conclusionsAligning UTS with mainstream GT for LS in CRC may boost early diagnosis and prevention while reducing waiting times and other patient burdens. By addressing barriers to and facilitators in diagnostic pathways, health care systems can improve the identification and management of LS, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients and their families. The insights gained from this scoping review will inform the development of a mixed methods study about implementing diagnostic pathways for LS in CRC that integrate UTS and mainstream GT in Italy. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/70831.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsColorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary NonpolyposisEarly Detection of CancerGenetic TestingDNA Mismatch RepairHumansMass ScreeningResearch DesignScoping Reviews as Topicbarrierscolorectal cancerdiagnostic pathwayfacilitatorsgenetic testingimplementationLynch syndromemainstreamingprotocolScoping reviewtheoretical domains framework

Identifiers

PMID40492649
PMCPMC12188134

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.