CDH Cancer Care Program to Offer Genetic Testing, Counseling

NORTHAMPTON — As part of Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s collaborative agreement with the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, the CDH Cancer Care Program will begin a cancer risk assessment and genetic testing program.

“Offering the cancer risk assessment program at CDH through our collaboration with Mass General Cancer Center means our patients and community members can get best-practice care without the need to travel out of the area,” said Carol Smith, RN, chief operating officer.

The cancer risk assessment program provides evaluation, genetic counseling, genetic testing, and referral for the ongoing monitoring, treatment, and follow-up for hereditary cancers, including breast cancer, gynecologic cancers (ovarian, uterine, fallopian tube), gastrointestinal cancers (colon, rectal, pancreatic, gastric), endocrine cancers (thyroid, pituitary, adrenal), and skin cancers, (melanoma).

A Mass General Cancer Center licensed genetic counselor will be available every other month at CDH for the convenience of community members who may benefit from genetic counseling and testing. Appointments are arranged through a patient’s physician. Area residents who have questions about the new program should call the Cancer Care Program office at (413) 582-2028.

Dr. George Bowers, medical oncologist/hematologist and medical director of the CDH Cancer Care Program, said some individuals may have an “increased risk of developing cancer based on their personal and/or family history, and several members of a family, across multiple generations, may be affected.”

According to Mass General Cancer Center Senior Genetic Counselor Kristen Shannon, an individual may consider genetic counseling for several reasons:

• An individual has already had cancer and is concerned about the risk of additional cancers for themselves and other family members, such as children or siblings;
• A close family member or several members of a family have had cancer, and an individual may want to determine if his or her own risk is elevated; or
• An individual may have another medical condition that may increase the risk for cancer. For example, some people who have benign (non-cancerous) polyps in the colon my have an elevated risk for colon cancer.

The Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at the Mass General Cancer Center is led by Dr. Daniel Haber and is staffed by licensed genetic counselors as well as specialized physicians.