by Mark Wheeler
On March 18, the Department of Clinical Cancer Genetics achieved a significant milestone - its 10th annual conference in clinical cancer genetics, the science of determining the genetic factors that may increase an individual’s risk for cancer. This year’s conference, “Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancers in Your Practice: Advances in Genetics - Progress in Prevention,” drew about 50 primary care physicians, gastroenterologists and other health care professionals, some from as far afield as Brazil and Ireland.
While the focus of this conference was on gastrointestinal cancers, the aim of those attending was the same as those who have attended the other nine conferences the department has offered - to gain insight into the genetics of cancer, assessing who may be at risk, learning about new genetic technologies, and how to incorporate this knowledge into the care of their patients.
With a decade of conferences under his belt, Jeffrey Weitzel, M.D., director of the Department of Clinical Cancer Genetics, said the field of cancer genetics continues to evolve to become more practical and more relevant to patient care. “After 10 years, the advances in the field have clearly established that clinical intervention to promote cancer prevention in the community is a practical thing to do,” he said.
This year’s conference had four goals in mind: to identify those aspects of a person’s family history that would call for a risk assessment for hereditary gastrointestinal cancer; to recognize how such assessments can enhance cancer screening and prevention; to learn about recent advances in the molecular diagnosis of hereditary gastrointestinal cancer; and to review the latest surveillance recommendations and strategies to reduce the risk of cancer for individuals.
The annual conference was originally established in 1997 with support from the National Cancer Institute, said Kathleen Blazer, a cancer risk counselor and the assistant director of the department’s Cancer Genetics Education Program. “It fills a real need, since most physicians have only had one or two courses in genetics back in school,” she said. “But at the same time there is a growing awareness about genetics and cancer on their part, plus they are fielding more and more questions from their patients, who themselves are becoming increasingly aware of a hereditary risk for some individuals. So the need is there.”
This year’s conference included the use of a new “Audience Response System,” a keypad device that allows audience members to answer questions before and after a particular conference session. The system provides instant feedback to presenters, allowing them to clarify any particular point.
Also of interest was the untimely but comical appearance of “Polyp Man,” who briefly disrupted proceedings before being quickly subdued by two attending physicians. Polyp Man is a character created by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS co-sponsored the conference along with Kaiser Permanente of Southern California.
