City of Hope Cancer Center Receives Major Grant to Spread Knowledge of Inherited CancersCity of Hope City of Hope Cancer Center has been awarded a $960,000 grant from the California Department of Health Services for a proposal to develop a technology transfer program and provide professional medical education in cancer genetics. The three-year grant will support City of Hope's Center for Cancer Genetics Technology Transfer Research by building on the strengths of City of Hope Cancer Center's established multidisciplinary expertise in oncology and genetics.  "The center will provide a robust resource for moving state-of-the-art cancer genetics technology and methodology into clinical practice," said Jeffrey Weitzel, MD, director of City of Hope's Department of Clinical Cancer Genetics, and principal investigator for the recently funded program. Dr. Weitzel's department operates Cancer Screening & Prevention Program clinics at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, City of Hope West Los Angeles Cancer Center, St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. Additional regional partners will include the MemorialCare Breast Center in Long Beach. The technology transfer program includes a pioneering telemedicine project to extend City of Hope's cancer genetics expertise to partners across the state, from the North Valley Breast Clinic in Redding to Children's Hospital in Fresno. The grant will enable City of Hope's cancer genetics team in Duarte to share clinical information with physicians, genetic counselors and patients through informatics, including a cancer genetics Web site (www.cityofhope.org/ccgp) and Web discussion groups. Through teleconferencing, physicians and genetic counselors in City of Hope's network of Cancer Screening & Prevention Programs will be able to discuss their patient cases with City of Hope's multi-disciplinary team of experts during weekly meetings. High-risk patients identified by the network of clinics will be able to participate in City of Hope's cancer prevention trials. The grant also supports continuing educational programs in cancer genetics for primary care and specialty physicians. A new two-week course will provide intensive training in cancer risk counseling to selected genetic counselors and nurses. These clinicians will promote the knowledge of cancer genetics statewide. Weitzel said an important aspect of the grant is increasing health care professionals' knowledge of the role genetics plays in some cancers and the importance of patient screenings, counseling and follow-up care.
For more information, or to contact City of Hope, see their website at: www.cityofhope.org |
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