Clinical Cancer Genetics

With a Foreword by Richard D. Klausner, M.D., Director, National Cancer Institute and an Introduction by Henry T. Lynch, M.D., President, Hereditary Cancer Institute and Director, Creighton Cancer Center, Creighton University

When ordering a genetic test to determine whether a patient is susceptible to genetically transmitted cancers, physicians must be prepared to cope with profound medical, psychological, and ethical consequences. They, along with genetic counselors, nurses, psychologists, and other health professionals, must ensure that interpretations of test results are accurate, risk assessments are appropriate, and the communication of risk information is clear, helpful, and productive.

Clinical Cancer Genetics: Risk Counseling and Management is a comprehensive practical guide for health professionals responding to the growing demand for clinical cancer genetic services. Using examples drawn from actual cases and emphasizing fundamental principles throughout, this book outlines the scope of clinical cancer genetics and its underlying scientific concepts, reviews the most prevalent syndromes of cancer predisposition, and addresses major issues associated with genetic testing, including:

• Use of quantitative methods in risk counseling
• Methodologies of genetic testing
• Genetic testing of patients with cancer
• Reproductive risk counseling of cancer patients
• Special psychological, ethical, and legal challenges in clinical cancer genetics

Supplemented with practical materials used in cancer genetic counseling programs and an annotated table of selected human cancer predisposition syndromes, Clinical Cancer Genetics: Risk Counseling and Management equips health care professionals with a complete understanding of the benefits and limitations of genetic testing technologies and the ability to integrate genetic information into the management of patients who are at risk or already affected by cancer.

Ein wichtiger und umfassender Leitfaden für Präventivmediziner, die sich mit der genetischen Analyse von Krebspatienten oder potentiellen Risikopatienten für häufige Krebsarten beschäftigen. Es werden entscheidende Konzepte aus den Bereichen der Epidemiologie und Sozialwissenschaften eingeführt, um so einen integrierten Ansatz für jeden individuellen Fall zu ermöglichen. Dieses Werk ist von unschätzbarem Wert für die Beratung von Patienten, Familien und Kollegen hinsichtlich Verfügbarkeit, Nutzen und Grenzen der neuen Technik der genetischen Risikoanalyse. Ferner werden kommerzielle DNA Tests zur Bestimmung der familiär bedingten Veranlagung für mögliche Krebserkrankungen sowie deren soziale und ethische Aspekte näher betrachtet. (12/97) Clinical Cancer Genetics and Risk Counseling.

Hereditary and Acquired Risks for Cancer.

Cancer as a Genetic Disorder.

The Common Hereditary Cancers.

Other Cancer Predisposition Syndromes.

Quantitative Methods in Cancer Risk Assessment.

Laboratory Methods of Cancer Genetic Testing.

Genetic Testing in the Management of Patients with Cancer.

Reproductive Counseling for Cancer Patients and Families.

Psychological, Ethical, and Legal Issues of Cancer Risk Counseling.

Glossary.

Appendices.

Index. Clinical Cancer Genetics and Cancer Risk Counseling;
Hereditary and Acquired Risks for Cancer;
Cancer as a Genetic Disorder;
The Common Hereditary Cancers: Breast Cancer;
Ovarian Cancer;
Colon Cancer;
Prostate Cancer;
Other Cancer Pre-disposition Syndromes: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome;
Melanoma;
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasias (MEN);
Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome;
Neurofibromatosis;
Retinoblastoma;
Wilms Tumor Syndromes;
Von Hippel Lindau Disease;
Lung Cancer;
Quantitative Methods in Cancer Risk Assessment;
Laboratory Methods of Cancer Genetic Testing;
Genetic Testing in the Management of Patients with Cancer: Genetics in Cancer Diagnosis;
Genetics in Cancer Detection;
Genetics in Cancer Prognosis;
Reproductive Counseling for Cancer Patients and Families;
Psychological, Ethical, and Legal Aspects of Cancer Risk Counseling;
Appendices: Breast and Colon Cancer Familial Risk Tables;
Table of Human Cancer Predisposition Syndromes by Site;
Practical Materials for Cancer Genetic Counseling;
Directory of Laboratories Providing Cancer Genetic Testing.

"I refer to [this book] frequently and almost feel as if Dr. Offit was in the consulting room. I urge oncologists and other professionals providing cancer risk counseling to read this book and keep it at hand for convenient reference." (Annals of Oncology)

"This is an excellent textbook ... it will be on my list of recommended reading for students...." (Human Genetics, May 2000)

"This is an excellent textbook encompassing a wealth of experience." (Human Genetics, No. 106, 2000)

KENNETH OFFIT is Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service in the Department of Human Genetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He attended Princeton University and the Harvard Medical School and received an M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Offit chaired the Subcommittee on Genetic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and is a member of the Cancer Genetics Working Group of the National Cancer Institute.