Commonspirit Penrose High Risk Cancer Prevention & Surveillance Clinic
Hours
About
The High-Risk Cancer Prevention & Surveillance Clinic at CommonSpirit Penrose Hospital is dedicated to empowering you and your providers in the proactive fight against cancer. Through our comprehensive program, we utilize advanced tools to assess your risk for hereditary cancers, including breast, ovarian, gastric, and more.
Our team of experts, including nurse practitioners and genetics-trained providers, offers personalized consultations, evidence-based recommendations, and tailored care plans to help you effectively manage your risk and make informed decisions about screening, prevention, and potential genetic testing.
Our Services
We offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to empower you with knowledge and proactive strategies for managing your cancer risk. We begin with a thorough cancer risk assessment, using the CancerIQ platform and consultations with our experienced nurse practitioners. Based on your individual risk profile, we provide evidence-based recommendations for effective risk management, crafting personalized care plans that outline optimal screening tests and timelines.
Our services extend to genetic counseling and testing, where our genetics-trained providers guide you through the process of understanding your genetic predispositions to hereditary cancers. We collaborate closely with cancer specialists and referring providers to ensure seamless communication and coordinated care, offering referrals to specialists as needed. Whether you have a personal or family history of cancer, abnormal breast biopsies, or other risk factors, our team is dedicated to providing you with the support and resources you need to make informed decisions about your health.
Breast Imaging
Every patient who visits the Women’s Imaging Centers at CommonSpirit Penrose and St. Francis hospitals for a mammogram is offered a high-risk cancer assessment using CancerIQ — a short screening questionnaire to assess your risk.
If the results of your Women’s Imaging cancer risk assessment show that you may be at a higher risk for developing breast or another hereditary cancer, we recommend you meet with our genetics-trained providers. They can help you further assess your results, answer any questions, and develop a personalized plan for early cancer detection and prevention.
CancerIQ risk assessment
Our High-Risk Cancer Prevention and Surveillance Program uses CancerIQ, an online risk assessment platform, to help us identify those at an elevated risk for hereditary cancer. The questionnaire is easy to complete, and your results are available immediately. Prevention and surveillance are vital for anyone at a higher risk for hereditary cancers including breast, ovarian, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, melanoma, endometrial and prostate cancers.
Genetic Testing
Getting a genetic test done can be an empowering way to mitigate your risk of developing hereditary cancers — you and your care team can then know the right steps to take.
Genetic tests scan your DNA for the presence of genetic mutations known to be linked to conditions like cancer. This can be an effective way to gauge the risk of developing hereditary cancers or to choose treatment options if you’ve already been diagnosed with cancer.
But genetic testing isn’t the right step for everyone. The best way to know if you qualify for genetic testing is to complete our five-minute risk assessment questionnaire.
Our team of experts will check your results against national clinical guidelines and then work with you to determine if genetic testing is the right path for you.
Genetic Counseling
Genetic counseling can help people consider the risks, benefits and limitations of genetic testing in the context of their particular situation. In some cases, a genetic counselor and physician may determine that testing is not needed.
Genetic counseling also helps patients understand test results. Genetic counselors work with you and your physician to review your results and choose the prevention, surveillance or treatment strategies that best fit your needs.
- Nurse practitioner consultations
- Cancer risk management recommendations
- Personalized care plans with optimal screening tests and timelines
- Coordination of recommendations with referring providers
- Collaboration with and referral to cancer specialists
Providers
FAQs
Anyone with one or more of the following situations:
- Personal or family history of:
- Ovarian cancer
- Metastatic prostate cancer
- Rare cancers such as pancreatic or male breast cancer
- Breast cancer when 50 years old or younger
- Uterine, endometrial, or colorectal cancer when 50 years old or younger
- Same type of cancer diagnosed in two or more relatives, especially if diagnosed under age 50
- Two or more family members diagnosed with related cancers:
- Breast and ovarian
- Colon and endometrial (uterine)
- A known pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutation of a cancer susceptibility gene in a blood relative
- Personal history of abnormal breast biopsies
- Personal history of adenomatous colon polyps (adenomas) found on colonoscopy
- Personal history of chest wall radiation therapy before age 30
- Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry
Call the High Risk Cancer Prevention & Surveillance clinic at 719-776-4567 or email [email protected]. Our team will follow up with the patient and coordinate next steps.
Each health plan has different benefits and policies. Typically, most plans will cover an appointment with a genetic counselor if you meet criteria from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
If the genetic counselor makes a referral for other services, including genetic testing, they will review fees and insurance issues together with you.
