PHILADELPHIA (August 2, 2012)—The Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of the Center’s Department of Clinical Genetics, has a new educational website available to help patients understand the personal and family risk factors that may put them at higher risk for cancer. By utilizing the website, patients and their family members can learn about their risk factors and what they can do to lower their chances of getting cancer.
The website was developed to complement the current work being done by Fox Chase’s risk assessment team — physicians, nurses, and genetic counselors — who meet with patients and their family members to determine their chances of getting cancer and whether they are at high risk for certain types of cancer.
“Our Risk Assessment Program is a comprehensive, clinical service and research collaboration for individuals and families at risk for cancer and those with cancer,” says Mary Daly, MD, PhD, FACP, chair of Fox Chase’s Department of Clinical Genetics. “Both the clinical and research goals are aimed at helping to learn how cancer begins, how it can be prevented, how it can be diagnosed early, and how it can be best treated.”
Those visiting the website can learn about the following:
- What to expect at a cancer risk assessment session
- Risks for specific cancers and how to reduce those risks
- Information on how cancer develops
- Cancer genetics and genetic counseling
- How to build a family pedigree (family cancer history)
- Why family history and health history questionnaires are important tools
- Personal stories from RAP patients
- Video tutorials from the experts in cancer risk assessment
Patients, their family members, and anyone interested in learning about cancer risk assessment and services are welcome to visit the website (login is not required to access the site). For questions or concerns, email [email protected].