March 13, 2018
The power of cancer prevention — a spotlight on Dr. Lucy Godley, CBC Scientific Director, UChicago
Bethany Hubbard, a science writer for UChicago Medicine, The Forefront, has recently published an article about the Comprehensive Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic at the University of Chicago. The Clinic’s role is to identify, and then provide follow up and care for people with higher than average risk to develop cancer. The increased cancer risk may result from a variety of factors, including genetics or environmental exposure. The goal is to inform the potential patients about their risk and to develop a comprehensive monitoring system that would allow for early detection and intervention, should cancer strike. Among the Clinic physicians featured in the article is a CBC Scientific Director for UChicago, Dr. Lucy Godley. A Professor of Medicine, Section of Oncology and Hematology, Lucy specializes in hematologic malignancies and offers personalized risk assessment to patients and families with increased risk to develop blood cancers. CBC is proud to have Lucy as a Scientific Director, especially now, in Phase 2, which is focused on strengthening translational research efforts.
Stopping cancer before it starts
UChicago Medicine, The Forefront | by Bethany Hubbard | February 20, 2018
Program co-director Jane Churpek, MD, meets with a patient in clinic.
There are many factors that can increase a person’s risk of developing certain cancers including age, lifestyle, and genetics, to name a few. Though it is not possible to identify the exact cause for most cancers, scientists continue to identify risk factors that may play a role.
At the University of Chicago Medicine, the Comprehensive Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic is dedicated to identifying and caring for individuals who have an increased risk of cancer due to family history, or medical and genetic factors. Founded in 1992, the Clinic was the first in Illinois to provide comprehensive preventative services and is currently led by Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, Sonia Kupfer, MD, assistant professor of medicine, and Jane Churpek, MD, assistant professor of medicine.
Today, more than 3,000 patients are closely monitored for the very earliest signs of breast, ovarian, and gastrointestinal cancers. These patients include both cancer survivors with a high risk of recurrence and individuals with a family history or personal genetic profile that makes them more vulnerable to the disease.
Olopade is an expert in breast cancer risk, and has identified breast cancer mutations in African families that are distinct from those found in Caucasian women, transforming screening and treatment in Africa and beyond. Her research team also made the seminal discovery that the majority of African women diagnosed with breast cancer have triple-negative tumors (a type of breast cancer that is aggressive and hard to treat).
Dr. Lucy Godley and patient.
Lucy Godley, MD, PhD is also a CBC Scientific Director, UChicago.
Kupfer researches colon cancer risk in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease and in African American families with inherited predisposition. In one study, she and her colleagues characterized the specific mutations and risk for colorectal cancer in African Americans with a genetic condition called Lynch syndrome, identifying new mutations and cancer risk factors for this population.
Churpek and Lucy Godley, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, offer personalized risk assessment to patients and families who may be at an increased risk for developing hematologic (blood) malignancies compared to the general population due to genetic factors. Through the Clinic, they provide genetic testing, cancer prevention counseling and strategies, and long-term follow-up of individuals with known or suspected familial myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute leukemia syndromes.
Churpek, Godley, and collaborators are focusing their research efforts on identifying and studying gene mutations associated with inherited forms of MDS and acute leukemia. Through research and patient assessment, the Clinic continues to help patients stop cancer before it starts.
Source:
Adapted (with modifications) from UChicago Medicine, The Forefront, by Bethany Hubbard, posted on February 20, 2018.
Godley’s Ties to CBC:
CBC Scientific Director, UChicago (2016-present):
▸ The CBC welcomes new Scientific Director for The University of Chicago, Lucy Godley