November 24, 2003
Penn and FORCE Establish First Peer-Support Helpline For
People Concerned About Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer
(Philadelphia, PA) – Facing Our Risk of
Cancer Empowered (FORCE), a national advocacy
group for women concerned about hereditary breast and
ovarian cancer, has joined with the Abramson
Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
and Penn’s Department of Psychiatry
to establish the nation’s first peer-support helpline
for women with a hereditary risk of developing breast
and/or ovarian cancer. All volunteers who answer the
phones will have undergone genetic counseling. The toll-free
helpline will begin operations on Tuesday, December
2, and can be reached by calling: 1-866-824-RISK (7475).
“Confronting real fears about illness –
such as breast and ovarian cancer – is as important
in treating a patient as dealing with the illness itself,”
says James Coyne, PhD, a Professor
of Psychiatry (Psychology) at the Abramson Cancer Center
of the University of Pennsylvania. “This helpline
is part of a continuum of cancer care that stretches
from early prevention through to treatment.”
Women, or men, who call into the helpline have direct
access to any one of 20 volunteers located across the
country. Aside from direct contact and emotional support,
helpline volunteers are equipped with a 72-page resource
guide for offering referrals and information to more
than 200 key information sources about hereditary risk
and genetic counseling. Volunteers can also direct callers
to centers for genetic counseling, and essentially offer
direct, one-on-one contact with a woman whose experience
more closely resembles the caller’s – by
age, marital and family status, and by choice of action
– some women choose surgery as an option, others
do not. Medical questions will not be answered by helpline
volunteers. Instead, callers will be referred to the
nearest sources of clinical expertise, including services
available at the Abramson Cancer Center.
“Increasing numbers of women are finding out about
their family history of breast and ovarian cancer, seeking
genetic counseling and, depending on many factors, getting
screened for their genetic risk of developing the disease,”
says Sue Friedman, executive director of FORCE. Friedman,
a breast cancer survivor and carrier of BRCA2 mutation,
founded FORCE in 1999. “This helpline meets the
growing need for more personal and informed support
– beyond what is available through other telephone
lines and websites – by offering direct help from
people who have experienced that same unknown fear of
what may – or may not – lie ahead.”
Funding for this project is provided through a research
grant from the US Department of Defense Breast Cancer
Research Program. Satisfaction surveys will serve as
the formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the hereditary
breast and ovarian cancer helpline for providing risk-management
information and support to the high-risk community.
Statistics show that up to 10 percent of breast and
ovarian cancers are hereditary. Not all hereditary breast
and ovarian cancers are caused by a BRCA mutation. The
decision to be tested is a highly personal one that
should be discussed with a doctor who is trained in
counseling patients about genetic testing.
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About FORCE:
FORCE was founded in 1998 by Sue Friedman, a breast
cancer survivor and carrier of a BRCA2 mutation that
predisposed her to cancer. Diagnosed at the young age
of 33, Friedman was unaware of her many risk factors
for the disease, and noticing the lack of educational
support for women in similar circumstance, she founded
FORCE to provide support for high-risk women and raise
awareness about hereditary cancer risks. For more information
about FORCE, please visit: www.facingourrisk.org.
About the Abramson Cancer Center:
The Abramson Cancer Center of
the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1973
as a center of excellence in cancer research, patient
care, education and outreach. Today, the Abramson Cancer
Center ranks as one of the nation’s best in cancer
care, according to US News and World Report, and is
one of the top five in National Cancer Institute (NCI)
funding. It is one of only 39 NCI-designated comprehensive
cancer centers in the United States. Home to one of
the largest clinical and research programs in the world,
the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
has 275 active cancer researchers and 250 Penn physicians
involved in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
More information about the Abramson Cancer Center is
available at: www.pennhealth.com/cancer.
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