Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program

The Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program is dedicated to helping people prevent gastrointestinal cancers by understanding their personal and family risk and learning ways to reduce it.

Gastrointestinal cancers include tumors affecting any of the following:

• Colon (large intestine or bowel)
• Rectum
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Pancreas
• Esophagus
• Liver
• Bile duct

Our team helps participants develop a personal screening plan to detect cancer at the earliest, most treatable stage and to detect conditions such as polyps—small, noncancerous growths in the colon or rectum. If left untreated, some polyps may become cancerous tumors. Periodic screening can detect polyps, and most are easily removed during a diagnostic procedure called a colonoscopy.

Eligibility

The Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program is designed for people at high risk of colon or other gastrointestinal cancers because of personal or family medical history.

Gastrointestinal cancers sometimes run in families. People whose close relatives have had colorectal cancer or colon polyps may have inherited a genetic variation that increases their risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers. Scientists are working to understand the genes involved in this hereditary susceptibility.

Other factors that increase a person's risk of gastrointestinal cancer include a personal history of this cancer, gastrointestinal polyps and/or inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

Being at risk does not mean that you will definitely develop cancer. Rather, your chances of developing a cancer are greater than those of someone who has no personal or family history of the diseases or other special risk factors. You may be eligible for the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program if you are at least 18 years old and have one of the following risk factors:

• At least one first-degree family member (parent, brother, sister or child) who has had gastrointestinal cancer
• A personal history of gastrointestinal cancer
• A personal history of colon or rectal polyps

Benefits of Participation

Participants in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program receive education, genetic counseling and recommendations for screening. When you enroll, you will receive:

• An information session with a health educator who will explain the known and suspected risk factors for gastrointestinal cancer
• A detailed evaluation of your family history by a genetic counselor
• An explanation of screening guidelines and prevention options
• A personal screening plan with recommendations tailored to your needs

Family and Genetic Counseling

Having a family history of gastrointestinal cancer can increase your risk of developing cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. More than 25 percent of colon and rectal cancers may result from genetic factors passed from one generation to the next. Other risk factors involve personal lifestyle, such as a diet high in animal fat. The counseling team will explain the various risk factors, how they might affect you and what you can do to reduce your risk. Depending on your family history, counseling may include recommendations for other family members, such as at what age they should start being screened for gastrointestinal cancers.

The genetic counselor or health educator will discuss current research to identify the genes involved in hereditary risks and ways eligible clients may participate in such research. Some genes involved in cancer of the colon and rectum have already been identified. For those eligible, genetic testing is available.

Screening Recommendations

Recommendations for colon cancer screening may include sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Both procedures use a flexible tube that lets the physician view the inside of the colon. The instrument transmits images of the colon to a video monitor in the exam room, permitting the most precise diagnosis and location of any polyps or cancers.

You may choose to have screening here or by your own gastroenterologist.

Gastrointestinal Cancer Facts

Colorectal, stomach (also called gastric) and pancreatic cancers are among the most common gastrointestinal cancers among Americans.

Colorectal cancer: More than 148,000 Americans a year learn they have cancer of the colon or rectum. These cancers affect men and women equally. The third most common cancer in both men and women in this country, colorectal cancer causes more than 56,000 deaths a year. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, after lung cancer. With early detection, however, the five-year survival rate for colon cancer is more than 90 percent.

Stomach (gastric) cancer: Each year almost 22,000 Americans are diagnosed with stomach cancer, and more than 12,000 die of this disease annually. Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for stomach cancer. As with most adult cancers, the risk increases with age.

Pancreatic cancer: Approximately 30,000 Americans a year develop pancreatic cancer, and almost as many die of it. Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for pancreatic cancers. As with most adult cancers, the risk increases with age.

Symptoms

Gastrointestinal cancers often produce few or no symptoms until late stages. Regular checkups are important. These cancers are curable if detected early.

For colorectal cancer, symptoms may include, but are not limited to:

• Rectal bleeding
• Change in bowel habits
• Abdominal pain

Symptoms of pancreatic or stomach cancer may include:

• Ulcer-like symptoms
• Back pain
• Bloating

Contact Us

For more information on the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Assessment Program, or to schedule an appointment, please call 484-565-1600.