Familial Cancer 5-10% of all breast and bowel cancers are
due to genetic faults. General practitioners, nurses and allied health
professionals are increasingly being asked to answer questions regarding
inherited cancers and testing options. This module will give participants skills
in determining a persons risk of developing an inherited cancer based on family
history and will provide testing guidelines and insight into the issues
surrounding presymptomatic testing.
Module Units
Introductory genetics
Taking a family history
Cancer genetics
Hereditary breast/ovarian cancer
Hereditary colorectal cancer
Psychosocial and ethical impacts of hereditary cancer
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module participants will:
Understand the basic genetic mechanisms and inheritance patterns of hereditary
cancer.
Have skills in family history taking.
Understand the role of genetics in hereditary breast/ovarian cancer.
Understand the role of genetics in hereditary colorectal cancer.
Estimate risk status within a family history.
Be aware of the advantages and limitations of genetic testing
Be aware of the advantages and limitations of current screening options
Understand the referral process, including recognizing the importance of the GP,
medical geneticist and genetics team as collaborators in genetic
management.
Discuss the techniques used in counselling couples and individuals that are
contemplating prenatal diagnosis and when receiving unwanted results.
