Familial Cancer Centre
Familial Cancer Centre - Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
| The Peter Mac Familial Cancer Centre (FCC) is a comprehensive cancer genetics centre with a commitment to clinical service and research. The FCC provides cancer risk assessment, genetic counselling and genetic testing, medical advice and management as well as psychological support to individuals and their family who have concerns about their personal and or family history of cancer. Our aim is to reduce the morbidity and mortality from cancer associated with hereditary cancer syndromes. | ||||
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| The Goals of the FCC are to: | ||||
| • Contribute to a reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with hereditary cancers • Address the current and ongoing concerns of those with a family history of cancer • These goals are achieved through a combination of compiling and assessing family history information so that a risk assessment can be made, by providing genetic and medical information, genetic testing, psychosocial support and a framework for accessing relevant cancer risk management strategies. | ||||
| The Consultation Process Involves: | ||||
| • Collection of accurate family history data • Calculation of cancer risk based on family history • Communication of risk to the individual • Education about genetics and inheritance • Exploration of psychosocial issues • Strategies for cancer screening/early detection/prevention • Cancer risk management advice and provision • Genetic testing if appropriate | ||||
| Patient focus and research findings | ||||
| Our research is focused on finding better ways to identify people at risk of hereditary cancer syndromes and then reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these syndromes. Our research portfolio covers many aspects of familial cancer from finding new cancer genes, evaluating new genetic tests, new cancer screening tests, new cancer treatments and the wider impact of hereditary cancer syndromes and their management on the psychosocial functioning of individuals as well as their wide family. IMPACT prostate cancer screening study: An international prostate cancer screening study for men with inherited BRCA gene mutations who are at increased risk of prostate cancer. The Peter Mac coordinates the Australian axis of the study and Australia has recruited one quarter of the entire worldwide cohort to date with Peter Mac the site of the greatest number of Australian recruits. The IMPACT study will determine how best to screen men for prostate cancer and to find new screening tools for prostate cancer in this high risk group Breast cancer SNP study: to determine the clinical utility of newly discovered gene SNPs which are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. We are using the familial cancer patients recruited across Victoria who have had genetic testing to investigate how we can use this new genetic information to provide the best risk advice and target our future genetic testing most efficiently. AOCS genotyping study: A collaboration between the Peter Mac FCC and the Research Division is determining the number of women presenting with ovarian cancer who have BRCA gene mutations. This is a study funded by the US Dept of Defense as well as the Peter Mac Foundation and Cancer Australia. It is almost complete and will change the way women with ovarian cancer are selected for BRCA genetic testing as well as give insights into the mechanisms underlying the development of ovarian cancer. PARP inhibitors in BRCA-associated cancers: Peter Mac has been at the forefront of Australian recruitment into the international clinical trials of PARP inhibitors which are predicted to work most effectively in cancers that arise because of inherited BRCA mutations. The trials were initially presented at ASCO in 2009 and have been published on 6th July 2010 in the Lancet. New trials are ongoing and Peter Mac is continuing to recruit substantial numbers of patients. PARP inhibitors have shown great activity in BRCA-associated cancers and if the subsequent trials confirm this activity they will be a major advance in the treatment of these cancers. | ||||
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