ABSTRACT
The Health Services Circular (HSC)1998/031 for England and Wales on Cancer Genetic Services has suggested a model for triaging families which involves the filtering of such families. First by general practitioners in primary care, secondly by surgeons at cancer unit level, and finally by the regional genetics service at cancer centre level. If a family has been shown to have a genetic tendency to cancer, it is frequently possible to detect the gene mutation responsible for the familial tendency. Prophylactic surgery can be offered to try to prevent cancer in these high-risk cases. In many familial cancer syndromes such surgery has been shown to prevent cancer. Chemoprevention is the prevention of cancer by treatment with chemical agents such as drugs, hormones, vitamins, foodstuffs or minerals. Chemoprevention is an attractive strategy for individuals who are known to be at high genetic risk of developing cancer.
