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Tag: genetics


A Genetic Mutation: A Lifetime of Cancer Screening

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Kelly Zorzi

Yasmin Nasrati

Adapted from Yasmin Nasrati’s speech at the the annual Cadillac Fairview Run 

When I was a kid, my big brother was diagnosed with colon cancer and later with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the duodenum. Sadly he passed away. He was only 12 years old.

Shortly after his death, his oncologist at SickKids Hospital suggested that all of his siblings get genetic testing. That is when my family learned that I have an inherited gene mutation, which increases my risk of acquiring  malignancies and other serious health concerns. And so began my lifelong annual cancer screening.

I was 7 years old.  

Because of the regular screenings, they discovered my brain tumour early. At age 13, I received 33 daily radiation treatments and I was cured….per se, but I have certain side effects because of it.

This might shock you, but I am actually a four-time cancer survivor.

At age 15, I was diagnosed with cancer of my small bowel— and treated with surgery and 12 cycles of chemotherapy.

When I turned 18, I aged-out of the pediatric system. This was a very stressful time because all of the staff at SickKids Hospital are trained to take care of children, both physically and emotionally, so I felt very safe. At 18, I was still really young and didn’t feel ready to leave the children’s hospital.

My regular cancer screenings continued at Princess Margaret Hospital. At age 22, I was diagnosed and treated for colorectal cancer and a year later, breast cancer.

In addition to screening, I am monitored at the POGO AfterCare Clinic on a regular basis for late effects. Actually all survivors are monitored, not just those with a genetic mutation.  This is because even though the survival rate is up to 86%, as many as 60% of young adults will face a lifetime of complications that are a direct result of their childhood cancer or the treatment they received.

One of these complications is learning difficulties, including slowed rate of information processing, poor working memory, increased forgetfulness and more. These are all things that I struggle with on a daily basis.

I am 23 years old, and at this stage in my life, my education is my main priority, but for a while, my success at school was at risk. It was through my nurse practitioner at the AfterCare clinic that I was introduced to my POGO counsellor.

POGO’s academic and vocational counselling program is a donor-funded program that provides personalized support for childhood cancer survivors who need extra help to transition from high school on to college, university or into a vocational program.

Counsellors work one-on-one with survivors to provide them with special accommodations to complete tests and schoolwork; to help them match their career goals with their abilities; to facilitate scholarships targeted at survivors; and link survivors with the appropriate disability services and supports within colleges, universities or the community.

I am proud to say that I am now a college graduate and currently a student in York University’s Sociology and Human Rights Programs.

By Yasmin Nasrati


I recently had the opportunity to represent both the Hospital for Sick Children and POGO at the annual Cadillac Fairview Run/Walk, which raised $250,000 through sponsorship and employee participation. 

Posted in Misc | Tagged AfterCare, cancer survivor, genetics

2018 POGO Symposium on Childhood Cancer

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Jamie Irvine


The 2018 POGO Multi-Disciplinary Symposium on Childhood Cancer – Precision Medicine in Pediatric Oncology – examined clinical and scientific advances in precision medicine and explored how those advances are impacting the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children.

Over 250 delegates representing a variety of disciplines attended the conference.

VIEW THE PROGRAM

Click on the session titles below to view presentations that POGO has permission to share. 

PLENARY SESSIONS

Precision Medicine in the Pediatric Oncology Clinic: From Feasibility to Clinical Impact
Katherine Janeway, MDMD, MMSc

Precision Medicine – A Paradigm Shift?
Ian F. Tannock, CM, MD, PhD, DSc
Uri Tabori, MD

Thinking Practically: Delivery of Care Considerations for New Agents
Karen Fung, MSW, RSW
Tara McKeown, RN MN NP-Paediatrics

Ethics and Consent in the Age of Precision Medicine – Forging a Path Forward
Steven Joffe, MD, MPH

Select Poster Presentations
Alexandra Zorzi, MD, FRCPC
Andrew Shuen, PhD Candidate, MD, FRCPC
Lauren Mulrooney
, Nursing Student (3rd year)
Valli Subasri, MSc candidate (Medical Biophysics)
Nicole Espinosa, BScH Candidate (Life Sciences)
Mohammad R. Alqudimat, PhD Student (Nursing)
Marta Wilejto, Assistant Professor Paediatric Hematology/Oncology
Sarah Naraine, Fourth Year Nursing Student
Ceilidh Eaton Russell, PhD
Jill Furzer, PhD candidate (health economics)

Targeted and Traditional Agents: Can We Reduce Side Effects Using Pharmacogenomic and Endogenous Biomarkers?
Richard B. Kim, MD, FRCPC

The Future of Immunotherapy, CAR-T and Beyond
Shannon L. Maude, MD, PhD

WORKSHOPS

The Evolution of Clinical Trials in Canada
Rebecca Deyell, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Josh Silvertown, PhD, MBA, MSM
Patrick Sullivan

PROFYLE/KiCS: The ABCs of Precision Medicine in Canada
Alexandra Zorzi, MD
Anita Villani, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Andrea Cote, RN, BScN

CAR-T Cell Therapy in Ontario: Opportunities and Challenges
Joerg Krueger, MD
Stacey Marjerrison, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Colleen Callahan, RN, MSN, CRN

Posted in 2018 Symposium, Education for Health Professionals | Tagged 2018 symposium, CAR-T, Clinical Trials, consent, diagnos, ethics, genetics, pharmacology, precision therapy, psychosocial, side effects

Workshop E – Genetic Testing for Cancer Survivors: Who and When

Posted on November 26, 2015 by admin


VIEW THE PRESENTATION

Presentation description:
Genetics and genes are two words that we hear all the time in the news, especially when there are new discoveries in cancer.  What do these words really mean in relation to cancer?  And what do these words mean for survivors of childhood cancer?  Workshop participants discussed some common genetic predisposition syndromes and what we can do to determine is a family has a genetic predisposition to cancer.  Participants also discussed the pros and cons to having testing done for some of these conditions and discuss how some of these genetic tests are done. 

Speaker:
Nikki Parkinson, MSc, CGC
Genetic Counsellor, Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics;
Coordinator, Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Division of Molecular Genetics, DPLM
The Hospital for Sick Children
Lecturer, Department of Molecular Genetics
University of Toronto

Posted in 2015 Survivor Conference, Education for Survivors | Tagged 2015 survivor conference, genetic testing, genetics

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