University of Leicester's GENIE to host Lifestyle and Cancer Awareness Workshop on Feb. 23

Women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer are invited to meet with experts who will advise on preventing or delaying the disease.

The University of Leicester's Genetics Education Networking for Innovation and Excellence (GENIE) will hold its third Lifestyle and Cancer Awareness Workshop on Saturday, February 23.

The event, organised by GENIE's Supporting Families with Cancer team, will focus on breast and ovarian cancer and cover three themes - prevention and survivorship, genetics and screening, and wrap-around care.

The event follows a recent press release from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence committee on the use of Tamoxifen to prevent inherited breast cancer and World Cancer Day on the February 4.

Experts will be on hand to offer advice on preventing or delaying the onset of inherited breast cancer and detecting it at an early stage through screening.

Talks and sessions will be led by clinicians, researchers and support groups including experts in clinical genetics, diet, physical activity, chemotherapy, preventative breast and gynaecological surgery, and researchers currently developing a blood test for breast cancer.

The event is supported by the University of Leicester, University Hospitals Leicester, Macmillan Cancer Support and the National Institute for Health Research's Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Dr Julian Barwell, Senior Lecturer in Cancer Genetics at the University's Department of Genetics and cancer genetics consultant at Leicester's Hospitals, said: "This event will provide both information and advice to families affected with cancer on recent exciting developments in breast and ovarian cancer prevention and research into developing a blood test for breast cancer."

In keeping with the World Cancer Day theme "Cancer - Did you know?" the event will help make people aware of the many myths and misconceptions about the disease.

As Cary Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Union For International Cancer Control (UICC) says, "Cancer will touch us all at some point in our lives. On World Cancer Day, UICC urges everyone to make simple lifestyle changes to reduce their cancer risk and that of their loved ones".

The Lifestyle and Cancer Awareness Workshop is hosted by GENIE in the Department of Genetics and will take place in the Maurice Shock Building at the University of Leicester on Saturday 23 February from 1.30pm to 5.30pm.

Source: University of Leicester