Familial/Hereditary Gastroinestinal Cancer Prevention

The Familial/Hereditary Gastroinestinal Cancer Prevention program is a division of UCSF’s Cancer Risk Program. Located in the Gastroenterology clinical offices at UCSF’s Mount Zion Campus, the program provides genetic counseling, genetic testing and follow-up services to individuals and families at risk for or known to have an inherited gastrointestinal cancer syndrome.

The Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program’s experts include certified, licensed genetic counselors, gastroenterologists, medical and gynecologic oncologists and colorectal surgeons. Using personal and family history information, our experts diagnose inherited conditions, perform cancer risk assessment, and provide ongoing cancer prevention and detection procedures and risk reducing surgeries.

We specialize in the evaluation of individuals and families with the following:

• Known inherited conditions like Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Lynch Syndrome, Juvenile Polyposis, Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer and others
• Multiple colonic polyps
• Microsatellite Unstable colon and/or endometrial cancer
• Personal history of early onset, metachronous or synchronous colorectal cancer
• Personal history of early-onset gynecologic cancers (uterine and ovarian)
• Family history of colon, stomach, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancers, as well as uterine, ovarian, and other cancers, especially if early-onset
• Known, inherited gene mutation in the family for a known inherited cancer syndrome

The Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program maintains a hereditary cancer registry of patients and families affected by inherited gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. Our patients participate in ongoing research looking into the causes, detection and prevention of inherited gastrointestinal cancers.