Genetics clinic at Cancer Institute

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

A cancer genetics clinic will be conducted by the Human Genetics Unit of the University of Colombo at the Maharagama National Cancer Institute. The clinic will be held every Friday afternoon.

The purpose of the clinic is to identify individuals having hereditary cancer syndromes and provide thorough evaluation, genetic counselling and testing which will be beneficial for the patients and their families, according to Professor Vajira Dissanayake of the Human Genetics Unit, Colombo University.

"We will work with physicians and surgeons who treat the patients. The clinic is ready to provide service not only to cancer patients but also to their family members as well," Prof. Dissanayake said.

The cancer genetics clinic will conduct risk assessments for each patient for all forms of cancers and screening for early detection management, Genetic counselling and genetic testing.

"Members of families with records of cancer occurring in multiple generations or people with two or more close relatives having the same cancer can come to the clinic and get their risk assessments," he said.

And for those who underwent treatment for cancer that occurred in one section of paired organs of the body have the facility to check whether the cancer has spread to the other half of the organ. Several main genetic tests will be available at the clinic.

Tests to check effectiveness of the drugs on individual cancer patients medically known as pharmacogenomic tests, are also available at the clinic.