Bay Path to Host Presentation on Cancer in the Family

LONGMEADOW — Cancer is a common disease, so it is not unusual to have a family member with cancer. But in some families, there may be multiple affected members, often at young ages and in patterns that suggest that a defective gene is being passed on from generation to generation.

Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, medical oncologist at the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care at Baystate Medical Center, will give a talk at Bay Path University on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. about how to investigate family medical history, who should consider testing, and what strategies can be considered to prevent cancers of the breast, ovaries, and colon. The event will be held at the University’s Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center, located at 1 Denslow Road in East Longmeadow.

Makari-Judson was named medical director of the Comprehensive Breast Center at Baystate in in 1994. She currently serves as chair of the Baystate Health Breast Network. In 2011, she was named co-director of the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research and subsequently created a lay advocacy group to accelerate and focus research in the Pioneer Valley. She is also medical director of the Family Cancer Risk Program at Baystate, co-author of the book Coping with Chemotherapy and Radiation, a frequent speaker on diseases of the breast, and has been repeatedly named to “Best Doctors in America.”

This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit www.baypath.edu. Prior to Makari-Judson’s presentation, tours of the facility will be offered. If interested in a tour, contact Anna Mailloux at amailloux@baypath.edu or (413) 565-1372.