Cancer Genetics

HKSH Cancer Genetics Centre

Knowing Your Risks Can Prevent Cancer

Early testing for breast and ovarian cancer can save lives

Genetic testing helps patients understand their risk of breast and ovarian cancers, allowing them to take steps to significantly lower their chances of getting these diseases.

At the HKSH Cancer Genetics Centre, we provide our patients a wide range of innovative, integrated, and high-quality patient-centred care - from genetic screening to diagnosis, and from treatment to counselling. Highly skilled medical professionals, including our registered genetic counsellor (HGSA) and geneticist, work closely with specialist doctors with formal genetic training, enabling patients to access the most advanced tests and therapies available. This is especially important with recent advances in systemic treatments related to breast cancer, providing valuable insight into best-optimised therapy for our patients.

Services

The Centre currently focuses on clinical and support services for breast and ovarian cancer.

Hong Kong Hereditary and High-Risk Breast Cancer Programme
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Hong Kong. It affects not only the older population but also young women of childbearing age. What is particularly alarming is its rate of increase, which has more than doubled over the past decade, especially in the younger age group.

Given this increasing prevalence, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital introduced the Hong Kong Hereditary and High-Risk Breast Cancer Programme in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Medicine in March 2007. It is the first community-wide programme of its kind to offer both clinical service and research collaboration to improve our understanding of Asians, especially among Chinese, so that an ethnic-specific assessment and management can be made.

The Programme is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary breast care programme offering a full range of clinical and support services, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, and general and genetic counselling, both locally and via teleconferencing with the Cancer Genetics Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine, laboratory testing, and research. The Programme aims at raising public awareness of and increasing access to early breast cancer screening so that early diagnosis and preventative measures can have a significant impact on the prognosis and outcome of the disease, particularly for those who are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

The data gathered from the programme will be forwarded to the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry, which has also been set up as part of the programme to aid understanding of the specific medical needs of Asian and Chinese populations and a culture-specific approach.

The programme is partially funded by the Dr. Ellen Li Charitable Foundation.