Kansas City Cancer Center Genetic Tumor Conference Explores Colon Cancer

KCCC pioneered this unique type of tumor conference in its local health care community and is experiencing growing support and attendance from area physicians.

Under the leadership of KCCC’s Larry Geier, M.D., lead physician for KCCC’s G.R.E.A.T. (Genetic Risk Evaluation and Testing) Program, the KCCC Genetic Tumor Conference takes a look at the role genetics plays in the recognition and management of patients with hereditary forms of cancer.

“As far as we know, this is the only community-based genetic tumor conference in the country,” said Dr. Geier. “Our sole objective is to look deeper at individual cases the evening of the conference with an eye toward genetics.”

The January 31 Genetic Tumor Conference will be held at KCCC-South, located at 1000 E. 101st Terr. in Kansas City. Dr. Geier welcomes case submissions for the evening.

These ongoing conferences alternate between hereditary forms of breast and colon cancer. These conferences, says Geier, have netted positive feedback from the Kansas City physician community. When attending KCCC’s Genetic Tumor Conference for breast cancer, Kansas City surgeon Lon McCroskey, M.D. presented a few cases and found the discussion to be beneficial to his practice.

“I was very impressed with the turnout, the quality of the cases and the discussion, which was extremely informative and helpful to my practice as a breast surgeon,” said Dr. McCroskey. “I definitely plan to attend upcoming conferences.”

The KCCC Genetic Tumor Conference is an offshoot of its G.R.E.A.T. Program, which helps breast, ovarian and colon cancer patients and family members quantify their cancer risk and develop a strategy to manage it. The Program’s goal is to prevent the cancers that were destined to occur or find them at their earliest and most curable stage.

By establishing “red flags,” KCCC oncologists direct patients and their families to critical cancer surveillance strategies, including a look at family cancer history, multiple cancers in one individual, early onset of age-based cancers, ethnicity, a Lynch Syndrome diagnosis or the presence of certain genes.

KCCC’s January 31 Genetic Tumor Conference is from 6-7 p.m., and food will be provided. The conference provides one hour of CME. For more information about KCCC’s G.R.E.A.T. Program, visit www.kccancercenter.com.

About Kansas City Cancer Center

Kansas City Cancer Center is a full-service hematology, medical oncology and radiation oncology practice with 12 convenient locations encircling the Kansas City area, including a Pathology Lab in Overland Park, Kan. and Outreach Clinic in Warrensburg, Mo. Because cancer is a journey -- maybe the most challenging of life’s travels -- KCCC provides a wide range of patient support programs to guide patients along the way. Such programs and services include medical, radiation and Interventional Oncology treatment, hematology and pathology services, diagnostic imaging, genetic risk evaluation and testing, access to clinical trials, survivorship and wellness services, and multiple patient support programs. Its patient-driven mission is to equip individuals and their families with everything they need to battle and manage the disease, prevent cancers that are destined to occur, and navigate social, emotional and financial issues of a cancer diagnosis – all from a close-to-home environment. To learn more about KCCC, visit www.KCCancercenter.com

KCCC is united in healing with US Oncology, Inc., a division of McKesson Corporation and a leading integrated oncology company uniting one of the nation’s largest community-based cancer treatment and research networks. As an affiliate of the United Network of US Oncology, KCCC is united with more than 1,100 physicians and 10,000 cancer professionals nationwide. Through the US Oncology Research Network, KCCC participates in clinical trials and has helped to develop 43 FDA approved cancer therapies.

PR Contact

Pam Crawford
Phone: 913.907.6304
Pam.Crawford@usoncology.com