May 2005
Psychosocial aspects of genetic testing for hereditary cancers meeting at Jefferson June 9-10
What is the likelihood of developing breast cancer if I have a family history? Should I have genetic testing? What are my options? Is surgery an effective choice? How can I help my children? What do I tell my health insurance company and my employer?
These are some of the questions confronting individuals who have a history of breast and ovarian cancer in the family and who are considered “at risk.” Genetics is revolutionizing the way medicine is practiced today and will be practiced in the next 5 to 10 years and beyond.
While the discovery and identification of BRCA1 and BRCA2 – the so-called breast cancer genes – ushered in a quiet revolution in genetic testing for hereditary cancer in the mid-1990s (doctors can now test for other cancers, such as two types of hereditary colorectal cancer – HNPCC and FAP), the accompanying psychological and social issues have taken on new importance as well.
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson are hosting a conference to address such issues. The 9th International Meeting on the Psychosocial Aspects of Genetic Testing for Hereditary Cancer will be held from Thursday, June 9, 2005 to Friday, June 10, 2005 at Jefferson Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust Street in Philadelphia.
“One of the main purposes of the conference is not only to present up-to-date information on the psychosocial issues involved in genetic testing, but also to promote cross-cultural collaboration and communication,” says conference organizer Kathryn M. Kash, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Among the speakers and topics: - Judy Garber, M.D., director of the Cancer Risk and Prevention Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, will discuss counseling issues in hereditary cancer predisposition.
- Radiation oncologist Marisa Weiss, M.D., founder and director of breastcancer.org., a non-profit organization for breast cancer education, will discuss what it’s like to be a patient, from sitting in a waiting room to being in a doctor’s office and feeling like a diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer is imminent.
- Henry Lynch, M.D., chairman of preventive medicine and public health and director of Creighton University School of Medicine’s Hereditary Cancer Institute in Omaha, Neb., and one of the pioneers in the genetics of hereditary cancers will offer an historical perspective of the field.
- Ann-Marie Codori, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, will discuss the impact of testing for FAP, a type of hereditary colorectal cancer, on children and families.
- Mary Daly, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, will discuss prevention strategies for women at risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Other topics to be discussed include screening for psychological distress, psychological and drug interventions, clinical trial recruitment, ethical and family issues, such as testing minors for adult-onset diseases, and the latest developments in the genetics of hereditary cancers.
Other topics to be discussed include screening for psychological distress, psychological and drug interventions, clinical trial recruitment, ethical and family issues, such as testing minors for adult-onset diseases, and the latest developments in the genetics of hereditary cancers.
“The entire human genome has been solved,” says Dr. Kash, noting that increased public awareness and education are keys to better use of genetic information. Women who are identified at risk for a hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome can be evaluated at the Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Center, which offers risk assessment, genetic counseling and gene testing, for example.
“I think that eventually, everyone will have an individual gene-testing kit,” Dr. Kash says. “If a person finds out he or she is at high risk for melanoma, for example, he or she can find ways to prevent it. A woman at high risk for breast cancer can make lifestyle changes.”
Insurance companies, she says, are becoming better educated also. Most pay for genetic testing, with the realization that testing and preemptive changes in lifestyle to prevent disease are more cost-effective than treating disease later, she notes.
Genetic testing is certainly on its way to changing the way medicine is practiced.
“Personalized medicine, along with genetic testing and so-called medical profile chips, will move into routine medical care and will become family medicine-based,” says Susan Miller-Samuel, advanced practice nurse in genetics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and a symposium speaker. “Doctors will prescribe drugs based on an individual’s profile.”
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