Features List
Manage your family
Keep it all in one place. Mom's scan schedule, Dad's, and the children. Know when it is time for each person to get their scans
Detailed Scan schedule
Automatically generate the recommended scan schedule based on your age, gender, and cancer predisposition following the latest NCCN guidelines. You can also add custom scans prescribed by your doctor
Save your scan information
Where did you do it? Who was your provider? Write yourself notes or do a voice recording. Whatever works to help remember detailed information from past scans
Reminder Notifications
Get reminders early to schedule your scans and make sure you stick to your protocol. You can adjust this to your particular use case
Our Mission
Born out of Emory University and Childrens HealthCare of Atlanta (CHOA), the HomeTown Manager App was built to improve adherence to surveillance protocols on cancer predisposition patients. The app currently supports 4 predispositions:
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1. Hereditary Pheochromocytoma Paraganglioma Syndrome (HPPS)
2. Familial Adenomatous Polypopsis (FAP)
3. Li Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS)
4. DICER1
5. Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome (VHL) [NEW]
6. Lynch Syndrome [NEW]
Our focus is to help the caretaker of the family with management of these predispositions. To create this app we interviewed many families with 1 to 4 family members with the predisposition. We learned that making sure everybody sticks to the protocol can be challenging: different kids' scans protocols, many appointments, keeping track of results, and a lot of stress. HomeTown's intention is to centralize that on an app to make your life a bit easier.
Collaborations
FAQs
It all sounds great, but what does this App actually do?
Great question. The app is a tool to help you manage your scan appointments and keep your information in one place. After you set up your 'Home' you will receive notifications when a family member's scans are coming up so you can call the hospital/clinics and schedule them. It will also notify you at the time of your appointment, and lastly after you go so you record any details about your results.
Within the app you can keep track of who are your providers and the health centers which you attend, as well as notes about each of your appointments. Our aim is to help you centralize the information about your predisposition history in a place that is friendly and easy to use.
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That being said this app is what you make of it, we hope you find it useful and let us know what you would like to see in the future.
How do I know if HomeTown is for me?
To benefit the most from HomeTown you need to be a caretaker of somebody (or yourself) with any of the following predispositions:
1. Hereditary Pheochromocytoma Paraganglioma Syndrome (HPPS)
2. Familial Adenomatous Polypopsis (FAP)
3. Li Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS)
4. DICER1
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Additionally, as of November 2021 we have add these two to the family of predispositions we cover:
5. Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome (VHL)
6. Lynch Syndrome
Do I have to pay to use HomeTown?
No. The app is completely free, we just ask you that you give us feedback so we can make it better!
Can I use HomeTown if I have a predisposition that is not listed (i.e Cowden Syndrome, MEN syndromes)?
Unfortunately not at the moment. However we hope that in the future we can incorporate more predispositions after we have seen that people can benefit from this app.
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We have actually just added VHL and Lynch so please do reach out if you'd like to see others.
How often are there updates to the App?
Updates will come on an on-rolling basis as all of YOU ask for new features and functionalities. We will also update it when new protocols come up for our supported predispositions and notify you when that happens.
Can HomeTown book my appointments for me?
No, HomeTown will just notify you that you have a scan coming up, however it is YOUR responsibility to call the hospital or laboratory to schedule it. But yes we will send you recurring notifications so you don't forget to do so!
Are you collecting my personal information?
Absolutely not. We don't collect any of your personal details, all the information you input stays in your phone.
Should I consult my physician before using this?
Yes you should! We recommend that you check in with your Genetic Counselor to make sure you have agreed on a surveillance protocol to follow. The app suggests the latest generic protocols approved by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) when applicable (if not it uses the latest supported by academic literature), however each person is unique and might have specific requirements. For example, you might have to do a body MRI every 1 year instead of the standard 6 months, etc.
In the app you can adjust all those time frequencies and add/remove scans as relevant.
Get In Touch
This project is part of a research study to see if this sort of mobile tool is helpful for families with genetic predispositions.
Your help will aid us in improving the app.
To qualify to use the app you need to be a caretaker of somebody (or yourself) with any of the following predispositions:
1. Hereditary Pheochromocytoma Paraganglioma Syndrome (HPPS)
2. Familial Adenomatous Polypopsis (FAP)
3. Li Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS)
4. DICER1
5. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)
6. Lynch Syndrome
We also offer a $25 gift cards compensation for a 30-min video call where you tell us your initial impressions about the app.