Seeking patients, researchers for Rare Cancer Genetics Registry

UCCC is now a participant in the NCI’s Rare Cancer Genetics Registry, which aims to collect genetic material from at least 200 patients who were diagnosed with rare cancers in the past five years. The registry data will be available to cancer researchers around the world.

Jan Lowery, PhD, MPH (AMC Cancer Prevention & Control Program/Colorado School of Public Health) is the grant’s local PI. She has sent letters to UCH doctors with patients diagnosed during the past five years with a rare or uncommon cancer asking for permission to contact the patient about donating blood or saliva to the registry.

“I would like to support recruitment for cancers that our researchers are actively pursuing work in,” Lowery said. “So, if a UCCC member is interested in doing a project in sarcoma, for example, then I’m happy to bump up enrollment of patients in that area to make sure we have a significant number of patients in the national registry.”

The Rare Cancer Genetics Registry, run out of Massachusetts General Hospital, will collect samples from patients with sarcoma, myeloma, head/neck cancer, renal cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreas cancer, gastric cancer, testicular cancer and fallopian tube cancer. Lowery encourages UCH doctors to get back to her about contacting their patients, and all UCCC members who are interested in using genetic material from the research to be in touch. She can be reached at jan.lowery@ucdenver.edu.