Cathy Belt on Detecting Inherited Cancer Syndromes
Cathy Belt, RN, MSN, AOCN, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses nurses’ role in detecting inherited cancer syndromes.
Cathy Belt, RN, MSN, AOCN, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses nurses’ role in detecting inherited cancer syndromes.
Many hereditary cancers show physical dermatological signs before they develop, such as change in skin texture, skin legions and oral changes. It is vital for a skilled oncology nurse to recognize these symptoms and then open up the patient discussion about family history of cancer and other benign conditions to determine if the individual may have an inherited cancer syndrome. Then, a patient can be referred to a genetics counselor who can determine if an inherited cancer syndrome is present and help the patient seek treatment to hopefully prevent the development of cancer in the future.
