For more on Risk Assessment
at Fox Chase Cancer Center,
call 1-877-627-9684.

Learn More: Progress through Research

• Our History
  
• What are Risk Factors
  
• Genetic Testing Information
  
• Progress through Research
  

Through Fox Chase’s Risk Assessment Program, you have the option to take part in research studies that help us learn more about cancer risk and prevention.

By studying the biological, genetic, and environmental factors that influence cancer risk, researchers at Fox Chase are working to understand more about the genes that influence cancer, who is at risk for certain types of cancers, and how we might reduce this risk.

In addition, our researchers are looking at how cancer risk and genetic information affect individual and family decisions, and are developing ways of communicating cancer risk information more effectively to patients and their families.

As an academic center we are constantly looking for new ways to detect, treat, and prevent cancer.  Below are some areas of research that we focus on at our center. Our doctors and scientists explore the entire spectrum of cancer from basic laboratory science to behavioral science to clinical trials.  We have great success in patient participation in our research—it is really you, our patients, who allow us to be on the cutting edge of cancer research!  If you are interested in participating in any of the studies below please phone or email the contact person associated with that study.

RISK ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
Study Opportunities

Informed consent, privacy and personalized medicine: Patient perceptions of, and preferences for, information and sharing of new and emerging genomic tests (Greenwall)
The purpose of this research study is to help healthcare providers improve their understanding of how patients and relatives would like genetic information to be managed and communicated, and how patient's and relatives' perceived risks for cancer may impact their opinions. It may also help us better understand the information needs of family members who have a relative who has had an important genetic test.
Contact: Katen C McCully
Phone: 215-728-2727
Email: katen.mccully@fccc.edu

RAP Registry (Risk Assessment Program Registry)
This is a research study for people who have a higher than average risk of cancer. You will be asked to fill out a Health History Questionnaire and donate a blood sample (and possibly, stored tissue (cells from a tissue sample that was removed in the past). The purpose of this study is to create a registry (a type of study that follows large number of people over time). Information and blood are collected for researchers to study now, and in the future. We will collect information about the health history, family history of cancer and the environment of large numbers of people.
Contact: Nina F Galpern
Phone: 215-728-2465
Email: nina.galpern@fccc.edu

Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC):
Fox Chase Cancer Center Cohort
This is a research opportunity that will give individuals personal information about their genes to determine how the information is used in medical care and decision making. A saliva sample and completion of online questionnaires is required.
Contact: Honey Salador
Phone: 215-728-3504
Email:  honey.salador@fccc.edu

Evaluation of Parent to Offspring Communication of Hereditary Risk Registry (EPOCH)
The purpose of the EPOCH Registry is to learn whether parents who have undergone genetic testing for a BRCA1/2 mutation share their test results with their children, and what additional information about risk is shared. We will interview parents who have had genetic testing through the University of Chicago Cancer Risk Clinic or the Fox Chase Cancer Center Family Risk Assessment Program and their adult children.
Contact: Colleen Burke Sands
Phone: 215-728-2722
E-mail: colleen.sands@fccc.edu

Philadelphia Breast Cancer Family Registry (PBCFR) 
The Philadelphia Breast Cancer Family Registry (PBCFR) is one of six international sites of the Breast Cancer Family Registry (B-CFR) funded by the National Cancer Institute. The sites have collaborated over the past 17 years to establish a research resource for use by the scientific community. Health and family history information, blood samples and pathology information are collected from eligible participants and their family members. Additionally, some funding is available to provide BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing for eligible individuals.
Contact: Lisa Bealin
Phone: 1-877-627-9684
Email: lisa.bealin@fccc.edu

Study of Female Teens: Understanding Risk to Promote Breast Health (The SOFT study)
The SOFT Study involves a telephone interview with girls aged 11 to 19 to learn what they know about breast cancer risk. We will interview girls with a family history of breast cancer as well as girls from average risk families.
Contact: Colleen Burke Sands
Phone: 215-728-2722
Email: colleen.sands@fccc.edu