Prevention, Risk and Screening »Prevention Research »Prevention Research Programs

Risk Assessment and Prevention Research

The Risk Assessment and Prevention Services (RAPS) offer every patient the opportunity to be part of research. Some research studies look at the biological, genetic and environmental factors that influence disease risk. Other studies look at how risk or genetic information affects individual and family decisions. Through these studies, we are finding the best ways to predict who is at risk for cancer and reduce that risk. We are also developing ways of communicating cancer risk information more effectively to patients and their families.

The research responds to the rapid progress in the field of human genetics. Studies have shown that certain cancer may be familial (run in families). Scientists are presently trying to understand more about the hereditary factors, or genes, that influence the following cancers.