A hereditary cancer consultation clinic.

There is a significant hiatus between existing knowledge about hereditary forms of cancer and the application of this information at the bedside. We believe that the HCCC concept will effectively bridge this gap between medical knowledge and its service application. Priority areas for assuring long-range success of this mission will require: a) greater public and physician awareness of the hereditary portion of the total cancer problem; b) generation of cost-benefit information relevant to the surveillance and management of patients at risk for hereditary cancer so that third party carriers might be more responsive to patient needs: c) enhancement of patient/family compliance with surveillance/management protocols leading to early detection of cancer and improved survival; and d) research into biomarkers which demonstrate acceptable sensitivity and specificity for the cancer-prone genotype, one day enabling identification of the deleterious gene(s). Thus, we may achieve the ultimate goal of identifying biochemical agents which will effectively ameliorate the deleterious products of the cancer-prone gene(s), improve clinical outlook, or even prevent cancer expression.