DeKalb Medical: where genetics meets clinical trial research

3/06/2014

The Hereditary Risk Assessment Program at DeKalb Medical was launched in 1999, making it one of the longest standing programs of all community hospitals in Georgia. Under the direction of medical oncologist and Georgia CORE Board member Jayanthi Srinivasiah, MD (a.k.a. Dr. Jay) the program provides cancer risk assessment to the greater DeKalb County community.

“My two greatest passions are genetics and clinical trial research, so I’m personally thrilled that we have been successful in teaming the two, giving patients more opportunities to participate in research that may help explain the history of cancer in their families,” said Dr. Jay.

In 2012, DeKalb Medical was the first hospital in the state to join the Cancer Screening and Prevention Program Network with the City of Hope National Cancer Center genetic registry. Through this partnership with City of Hope, patients and their families are given the unique opportunity to be part of a national research project. The goal of the study is to create a confidential registry and biologic tissue repository to help define the underlying predisposition to cancer, whether it be a genetic or environmental cause (or both) and ultimately, to learn more about susceptibility to cancer. Within this protocol, genes will be tested now and in the future. DeKalb is also participating in a separate Hispanic sub-study of the project.

Also in 2013, DeKalb Medical aligned with Moffitt Cancer Center to participate in ICARE (the Inherited Cancer Registry). This registry is similar to the City of Hope registry in that the purpose is to study genetic and environmental causes of cancer and gain knowledge from participants that will lead to both earlier detection and prevention of certain types of cancers. Participants with the ICARE registry receive updated information through newsletters about new cancer genetics screening and prevention studies, as well as cancer genetics services.

For more information on these and other clinical studies currently available at DeKalb Medical, please contact Lynn Dixon, RN/OCN at 404-501-5520.