Better Screening		Medical Genetics
Questions & Answers		Research Update

Advancing Medical Genetics
Increasingly, genetic researchers are able to identify mutations within genes that can lead to specific disorders. The Medical Genetics Program at the Cleveland Clinic is at the forefront of genetic testing and risk assessment. The program is led by Brian Clark, Ph.D., M.D., under the auspices of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center. Physicians and researchers at the Clinic have identified medical areas where they believe genetic risk assessment can be most valuable. They include cancer, heart disease, endocrine disorders, eye disease, neurologic disease, pediatrics and prenatal diagnosis. In cancer genetics, our risk assessment center brings together the study of cancers with a known genetic predisposition, such as colorectal cancer, in which 15 to 50 percent of cases are inherited.

To advance the understanding of inherited colorectal cancers, the Jagelman Registries have integrated with the Medical Genetics Program. Registries assist our medical genetics professionals in developing the best approach to particular diseases and syndromes through surveillance, testing and treatment. The association also has proved fruitful in the research arena, where a grant has been awarded by the National Cancer Institute to fund development of a national registry of patients with a family history of colorectal cancer. Researchers will examine the participants’ risk factors, such as diet, physical activity and alcohol consumption. The Clinic’s Medical Genetics Program will serve as the national registry’s coordinating center for genetic counseling and will be the only site to develop a registry of high-risk patients.

The Medical Genetics Program provides cancer screenings, genetic testing and counseling, patient education and referral services. For many people, knowing they’re at risk for colon cancer may be disturbing. But, this knowledge can be your best defense in preventing colon cancer or stopping the disease at its earliest, most curable stage.