High-Risk Cancer Surveillance
If you have a genetic diagnosis of a cancer syndrome, you may have an increased risk of developing cancer in the future. Mount Sinai’s High-Risk Cancer Surveillance program can give you the tools and information you need to protect yourself. We can help you take steps that may prevent you from developing cancer and monitor you carefully so that we can detect cancers earlier.
Our patients often benefit from:
- Developing a plan for how we will monitor your health
- Providing or ordering any screening tests you may need
- Sending you to any specialist you may need (such as a gastroenterologist, oncologist, or surgeon)
- Providing you with educational materials
- Connecting you with any clinical trials that might be helpful
- Referring you to support groups or other resources
Our team consists of medical geneticists and genetic counselors. We also work with other medical specialists, such as oncologists, hematologists, gastroenterologists, and breast surgeons. We coordinate with other genetics programs at Mount Sinai including:
Who We Treat
Most of our patients do not have any symptoms, but have a clinical or confirmed genetic diagnosis of a cancer syndrome, often one of these types:
- Familial adenomatous polyposis
- Hereditary paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma syndromes
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Lynch syndrome
- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
- PTEN-hamartoma tumor syndrome
Patients we see have already met with a cancer genetic counselor. They also have one or both of the following:
- Documented positive genetic test results
- Clinical diagnosis of a cancer syndrome
When you visit our program, the first thing we’ll do is complete a thorough evaluation. This involves:
- A detailed medical history
- Review of all your medical reports, including any prior genetic testing
- Physical exam
If we need more information, we may request additional tests.
Services We Provide
Once we have all of this information, we will:
- Review your prior genetic test results with you
- Create a personalized plan for how we will monitor you for early signs of cancer (a surveillance plan)
- Complete any additional screening you may need
- Refer you to other specialists as appropriate
- Work with our genetic counseling team if you need additional counseling or testing
- Provide educational resources
- Connect you with any appropriate clinical trials
Insurance Information
We understand how important insurance coverage is in selecting medical care. At the High-Risk Cancer Surveillance Program, we accept most major commercial insurance plans. We coordinate testing, as far as possible, through your insurance plan.