HSE urged to fund cancer risk clinics

UP TO one in 10 cases of breast and ovarian cancer diagnosed every year are hereditary, a conference heard yesterday, yet there is no permanent funding for cancer risk services.

Hereditary cancer is suspected when cancer is diagnosed in two or more close relatives on the same side of the family at an early age.

While most cancer risk clinics are based in major cancer care centres they are funded by grants, and have no permanent funding.

Director of the National Centre for Medical Genetics (NCMG), Prof Andrew Green, called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide more funding for the clinics when he addressed the conference in Dublin, organised by the Irish Cancer Society.

Priority should be given to providing high quality family cancer risk assessment clinics when the HSE assesses the investment needed for the country’s eight new cancer care centres, he urged.

Up to 10% of new cases of breast cancer (180) and ovarian (30) cancer diagnosed every year in Ireland are hereditary, while 5% of new cases of colon cancer (100) are hereditary.

When a GP suspects there may be a risk of hereditary cancer, he/she may refer the patient to a family cancer risk assessment clinic.

Breast and ovarian cancer risk assessment clinics are based at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin and Cork University Hospital. Colon cancer risk assessment clinics are based at St Vincent’s University Hospital, the Mater Hospital, Tallaght Hospital in Dublin and the Mercy Hospital in Cork. There are also family risk clinics for breast and colon cancer at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

When someone is identified as being at high risk, they are referred to the NCMG, based at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.

Those attending the centre are given a formal risk assessment, advised on screening and, where appropriate, have genetic tests.

Where families have an identified cancer predisposition gene, predictive genetic testing on other family members is offered.

Prof Green said: “People who carry cancer predisposition genes are at significant risk of developing cancer and some women may opt for prophylactic surgery, such as mastectomy.”

Prof Green said there were too few genetic nurses working in the risk assessment clinics and the hereditary cancer service in the NCGM was also understaffed: “Each cancer risk assessment clinic should have at least three clinical staff and we would call on the HSE to make high quality family cancer risk assessment clinics a priority when they are considering resource requirements for the eight new cancer care centres.”

The head of BreastCheck, Tony O’Brien told the conference that roll out of the service to the southern and western regions would begin in the coming weeks.

However, he said it will take until the end of 2009 before all eligible women, aged 50 to 64, will have been offered the free cancer screening service.

lIrish Cancer Society Freefone Helpline 1800 200 700; www.cancer.ie.