Pediatric Cancer Genetics
The Pediatric Cancer Genetics Clinic at Children’s of Alabama helps determine a child’s individual risk for cancer due to a possible inherited genetic disorder, and it develops customized treatment plans for children with a diagnosis of inherited cancer predisposition syndrome. The clinic is staffed by UAB Medicine geneticists (physicians with special training in genetics) and genetic counselors (professionals with training in both genetics and counseling) who work together to provide:
- Genetic counseling for parents and genetic test coordination as needed.
- Review of genetic testing results and recommendations for managing or minimizing cancer risk.
- Education and emotional support for children and family members who inherited a genetic risk for cancer.
Clinic Appointment
Appointments consist of time with a geneticist and a genetic counselor who will share with you their knowledge in hereditary cancer predisposition and its implications in childhood. They will evaluate your child’s medical history and your family’s medical history to assess the risk of cancer occurrence; educate your family regarding genetic testing options and risk management; and provide you with the information to make the best decisions for your family. We will make referrals to other physicians when necessary.
Schedule
Our clinic is open the second Monday morning of each month. To make an appointment, please call 205.934.4983. Referrals to this clinic may also be faxed to 205.975.6389. We are located on the sixth floor of the Dearth Tower in the McWane Building at Children’s of Alabama.
Referrals
A genetic counseling appointment could be helpful for your child and family due to a variety of family medical circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
- Cancers occurring early in childhood
- Cancers occurring in multiple generations
- Same type of cancer occurring in close relatives
- Multiple cancers in an individual
- Bilateral or multifocal cancers
- Rare tumors
- Family history of a genetic mutation with an increased hereditary cancer risk
Why UAB
The rapidly growing field of genetics helps medical professionals better understand diseases and conditions that are connected to our genes, treat patients more effectively, and more accurately predict their risk of developing genetic-related disorders. The UAB Department of Genetics is a national leader in this field. Our expert geneticists (physicians with special training in genetics), genetic counselors, and other providers work hand in hand with various UAB Medicine departments and clinics to educate patients and their families about genetic health factors and help deliver the world-class medical care that UAB is known for.
UAB Medicine is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 hospital in Alabama and among the nation’s best, and we are one of the top academic medical centers in the United States. Because UAB a major center for clinical research trials, patients may have access to promising new therapies long before they are available at other hospitals.
RELATED SERVICES
CLINICAL TRIALS
UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials. We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.
View Clinical TrialsMORE INFO
Breast Cancer Survivors Explain Why They Chose UAB
For the second consecutive year, the UAB Breast Health Center received a Women’s Choice Award recognizing its dedication to patient care and treatment.
More than 4,600 U.S. hospitals were evaluated for 2016. The award is based on several factors, including positive patient satisfaction scores from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and a national survey of women’s priorities in choosing breast care. (Read about UAB’s 2016 “America’s Best Breast Centers” award).
Industry recognition is nice, but nothing speaks as loudly as comments from our patients, such as Lois Core Humphrey, a retired medical technologist who spent many years working for Birmingham-area hospitals. When she found a lump in her breast earlier in 2016, she chose UAB, where 15 years ago she was successfully treated for a soft tissue tumor on the back of her thigh.
“I chose the UAB Breast Health Center because of the good outcome from my previous experience, and because as a member of the health care profession, I knew that UAB had some of the most renowned doctors as well as sophisticated diagnostic equipment,” Humphrey says. “What I loved most was that this team gave me their recommendation for surgery, then they allowed me to have input.”
Humphrey opted for a double mastectomy shortly after her breast cancer diagnosis, and she recently completed chemotherapy.
“This has not been an easy experience; sometimes the side effects have taken their toll on my body,” Humphrey says. “But I sense that I am about to enter the other side of what once seemed like a nightmare. UAB has played a huge and positive role in every step of my journey, and at the end of this, I will survive.”
Angela Hunter, a nurse manager at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Hospital, came to the UAB Breast Health Center in November 2014, shortly after having a tumor removed from her breast.
“UAB was always my first choice when it came to getting a second opinion and starting my treatment,” Hunter says. “All of my doctors and nurses were wonderful, and the nurses in the infusion clinic, too – they all constantly reassured me that I would make it through this.”
Hunter says she chose UAB both for its reputation and convenience.
“The quality of care was outstanding, “she says. “I moved all of my care to UAB. It’s the reputation, but the compassion from the nurses and the doctors is what really sets UAB apart. I won’t go anywhere else.”
Learn more about cancer care at UAB Medicine.
Produced by UAB Medicine Marketing Communications (learn more about our content).