Annual Report 2017
Department of Genetic Medicine and Services
Takeshi Kuwata, Kazuya Tsuchihara, Toru Mukohara, Sachiyo Mimaki, Yumie Hiraoka, Takahiro Kogawa, Kennichi Harano, Shingo Matsumoto, Ayumi Setsuda
Introduction
The Department of Genetic Medicine and Services was newly established in May 2016, for dealing with genetic as well as genomic testings and their related issues including genetic counseling conducted in the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE).
Our team and what we do
The aim of the Department of Genetic Medicine and Services is to deal with the following subjects.
1) Genetic counseling
2) Genetic/genomic testings
3) Ethical issue related to genetic/genomic medicine
4) Education of genetic/genomic medicine
5) Regulation of storage and usage of genetic/genomic information
6) Other genetic/genomic medicine
For this purpose, members of our department were assembled with various specialities including medical doctors, nurses, genetic counselor, and medical technicians from different clinical departments or research laboratories. In our Outpatient Genetic Counseling Clinic, genetic counseling and genetic testing were provided for cancer patients and their relatives with familial history and/or specific features suspected for familial cancers. From January 2017 to March 2018, 62 new patients/relatives visited our clinic, and 110 genetic counseling sessions in total were held and 56 genetic tests were provided. Our department also participated in the outpatient clinic specialized for hereditary breast and ovary cancer (HBOC) syndrome established by the Department of Breast and Medical Oncology.
Figure 1. Organization of the Department of Genetic Medicine and Services
Research activities
Our Outpatient Genetic Counseling Clinic is participating in the NCC Research and Development Fund program (25-A-1), and provides genetic testings.
Figure 2. Breakdown of genetic counseling sessions held in Outpatient Genetic Counseling Clinic
Clinical trials
Our Outpatient Genetic Counseling Clinic supports and provides genetic counseling for patients willing to participate in clinical trials where genetic tests are required.
Education
We educate medical doctors who wish to be a board-certified genetician by attending the Outpatient Genetic Counseling Clinic. We also provide intramural educational seminar for medical doctors and co-medicals for being familiar with genetic and genomic medicine to provide precision medicine for all cancer patients and their families visiting our hospital.
Future prospects
Our department will continue to provide genetic counseling and genetic testing for possible familial cancer patients/families. We will also continue to conduct education programs for medical doctors and paramedics working for theNCCHE to provide precision medicine in clinics. The Department of Genetic Medicine and Services will also establish genomic testing pipeline from research to clinic for accelerating development of medical and diagnostic devices for genome medicine.