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Date: Wednesday, May 14, 1997
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NIH, NCI Press Office (301) 496-6641, Jeff Witherly, NHGRI (301) 402-8564
A directory of genetic counselors, physicians, geneticists, and
nurses who have expertise in counseling about familial risk for
cancer and testing for genetic susceptibility is available on
CancerNet. CancerNet
is an online cancer information service developed and maintained
by the National Cancer Institute's
International Cancer Information Center (ICIC). The Internet URL
for CancerNet is: cancernet.nci.nih.gov.
"The directory will help health care professionals who are increasingly in need of
locating qualified cancer counseling and testing referral resources
for their patients,"
said Susan Molloy Hubbard, R.N., M.P.A., ICIC director."There
is widespread agreement among health care providers,"
added genetic counselor June Peters, M.S., "That
individuals who are considering genetic testing for cancer susceptibility
should receive education and counseling so that they may fully
understand the appropriateness and implications of these tests."
Peters, who helped develop the directory, is with the NIH National
Human Genome Research Institute.
The Family Cancer Risk Counseling and Genetic Testing Directory
is for use for persons who have a family history of cancer or
other risk factors that may indicate heritable cancers. The directory
is searchable by name, city, state, country, and type of cancer
or cancer gene. The resource provides information on the degrees,
institutional affiliation, professional licenses, and certification
of the counselors. It also specifies the gene or disease sites
for which the health care professional provides counseling and
gives the context in which service is provided. For example, it
explains whether the counseling is designed to answer specific
scientific questions in cancer genetics and whether there is a
fee for clinical services.
More than 200 health professionals are currently listed in the directory. To be eligible for listing, applicants must be in an oncology or genetics profession; licensed, certified or eligible for board certification in their profession; a member of a recognized health profession organization; and willing to accept referrals. Listing in the directory, however, does not constitute an endorsement by NCI.
Initially, four professional organizations queried their membership to identify qualified candidates: the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Canadian Association of Genetic Counselors, Oncology Nursing Society, and the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.
All information on CancerNet is continually reviewed and revised
by oncology experts and will be updated annually. The directory
is located in the Health Professionals section of CancerNet, under
Cancer Genetics. Qualified health care professionals who wish
to be added to the directory may send an e-mail query to genetics@icic.nci.nih.gov,
or fax a request to the Genetic Counseling Directory at (301)
402-6728.
The National Cancer Institute is the federal government's primary cancer research agency. The Cancer Information Service is NCI's nationwide information and education network. The CIS meets the information needs of patients, the public, and health professionals. Specially trained staff provide the latest in scientific information in understandable language. In addition, individual CIS offices serve specific geographic areas and have information about cancer-related services and resources in their region. The CIS, which can be reached at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), responds to calls in English and Spanish. People with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615.
Cancer Information Service
The Cancer Information Service (CIS), a national information and education network, is a free public service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the federal government's primary agency for cancer research. The CIS meets the information needs of patients, the public, and health professionals. Specially trained staff provide the latest scientific information in understandable language. CIS staff answer questions in English and Spanish and distribute NCI materials.
Toll-free phone number: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) TTY: 1-800-332-8615
CancerFax
For NCI information by fax, dial 301-402-5874 from the telephone on a fax machine and listen to recorded instructions.
CancerNet
For NCI information by computer:
CancerNet Mail Service (via E-mail)
To obtain a contents list, send E-mail to cancernet@icicc.nci.nih.gov with the word "help" in the body of the message.
Internet
Information is also accessible via the Internet through the World Wide Web at (rex.nci.nih.gov) and (cancernet.nci.nih.gov) servers.