The Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Center is dedicated to identifying and managing individuals with a known or suspected inherited predisposition to cancer. The Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to cancer risk evaluation and is one of few centers that offer cancer risk counseling for any type of cancer, including pediatric cancers. The Center is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team directed by Bruce M. Boman, M.D., Ph.D., an oncologist, and includes genetic counselors, oncology nurses, surgeons, molecular geneticists, a clinical geneticist, and others.
Family history is the primary indicator of an inherited risk for cancer.
The Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Center's staff evaluates a person's family history and develops a written risk assessment and a cancer screening program for each individual and their at-risk family members. This includes all Jefferson patients, individuals referred by outside physicians, and those who are self-referred. In some cases, individuals are reassured to find that their family history does not significantly increase their risk for a particular type or types of cancer above that of the general population. In other cases, where there is an increased risk or an inherited risk, the Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Center can provide information and guidelines that will assist them and their families in the prevention and early detection of cancer. The Kimmel Cancer Center Web site, its content and programs, is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, nor is it intended to create any physician-patient relationship.