IRVINE : Cancer Screening Draws High Interest

A UC Irvine cancer prevention center using family medical history to target potential high-risk patients is so popular that when it opened for business Thursday, appointments were booked through October, officials said.

The Prevention and Family Cancer Center operates under the theory that family members can have a genetic predisposition for cancer if high incidences of the disease occur in the same bloodline, said Leslie Cyril, spokeswoman for the UCI Medical Center cancer program, which oversees the facility.

“The response has been just amazing,” Cyril said. “When people call, we are finding that they have a real familial history of cancer, sometimes going back through two or three generations on both sides of the family.

“These are the people with whom we are the most concerned. We have also gotten parents who are very concerned about the future (cancer) risk of their own children.”

Initially, patients are contacted by telephone and asked to complete a long questionnaire on the family medical history. Patients then have a two-hour visit with a physician and a genetics expert from the college, Cyril said.

The $250 appointment includes a detailed examination of the family medical history, work history, a nutritional evaluation and a physical examination.

People whose family backgrounds include a history of multiple intestinal polyps, two or more family members with the same type of cancer, four or more relatives with cancer of any type, or those who may be exposed to cancer-causing elements in their occupation are considered to be at a higher risk of developing cancer.

For information about the program, call (714) 634-6316.