If you are tired of Googling the possible consequences of genetic inheritance and the severity of hereditary cases related to cancer, then Slidell Memorial Hospitals Regional Cancer Center might just be the ticket to that information.

On Sept. 6, hospital officials announced that their business has unleashed a new frontier in the fight against cancer; something they say comes in the form of a Genetics Clinic, now open to the community.

For patients diagnosed with cancer, if their type of cancer has an inherited aspect, their family members must confront the possibility they may be at increased risk of also developing cancer, said SMH in a news release.

Such scenario is the direct reason the hospital has recently opened a genetics clinic.

Our program will provide genetic counseling and testing to people who are at increased risk for hereditary cancer, said Mathew McElveen, M.D., medical oncologist and SMHRCC medical director. This is about helping them make informed medical decisions based on their own personal risk assessment.

Genetics risk assessments can have a huge impact on a persons life by allowing them to better manage their health and reduce their risk of ever developing cancer, said Clinical Geneticist Duane W. Superneau, M.D., medical director of Our Lake of the Lake Genetics Services.

Superneau will see clients twice a month at the SMHRCC Genetics Clinic in Slidell.

All support work, such as scheduling appointments and lab work, will be done on-site at SMHRCC, McElveen said. This means patients in the city of Slidell and the surrounding community will not have to travel very far for such testing and counseling.

The National Cancer Institute states that a cancer genetics clinic, such as the one just setup at SMHRCC, is a core component of a comprehensive cancer program because these services allow affected families access to cancer prevention and early-detection methods. Several issues that indicate a person could benefit from an assessment include: family history of early-onset cancers, family member on same side with same or related cancer, family member has more than one type of cancer, or family is of Jewish ancestry with a family history of breast, ovarian or pancreatic cancers, or family history of a rare type of cancer or tumor.

Most cases Superneau will deal with will pertain to cancer, but any patient with a non-cancer genetic disorder, can also be seen in the clinic.

More here:
Slidell Memorial Hospital brings new age to local genetics

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