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Article Category: Highlights

Partner with Wellstar Center for Genetics to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Published on October 25, 2024

Last updated 05:00 PM November 13, 2024

Clinician speaking with patient

While the cancer care experts at Wellstar are dedicated to providing world-class cancer treatment, our care teams are also committed to preventing disease and helping you evaluate your risk so you can be proactive with your health.

Some patients may have an increased risk of developing cancer if they have a family history or a genetic mutation. For example, a family history of prostate cancer could be indicative of a genetic mutation that increases the family’s risk for breast cancer, and vice versa. The Wellstar Center for Genetics determines if you may develop or carry certain genetic disorders. Using a compassionate approach, Wellstar genetic counselors ensure patients have the information they need to make an educated decision about genetic testing. Our team supports you every step of the way, answering questions and often working through complicated emotions.

At Wellstar, our focus is PeopleCare—personalized healthcare tailored uniquely for you. Your care team will ask you about your family’s history of cancer, including if you have had any relatives with cancer. If you do have a family history, they will ask how old your family members were when they got diagnosed. 

If you have a family history of cancer, your doctor might recommend you start screenings such as mammograms or prostate-specific antigen tests earlier or get screened more frequently. Your care team may also suggest preventative measures like medications or lifestyle changes, and they’ll partner with you to take action against potential cancers.

Some possible signs of hereditary cancer include:

  • Unusually early age of cancer onset
  • Multiple primary cancers in a single patient—primary cancers are an original tumor that forms in the body before the cancer potentially spreads
  • Cancer in paired organs (such as in cancer in both breasts)
  • Multi-generational cancers
  • Rare tumors
  • An unusual presentation, such as male breast cancer
  • Belonging to an ethnic group known to be at high risk for hereditary cancers
  • No environmental explanation for the cancer

Your care team may evaluate your risk of hereditary cancer by looking at your BRCA genes. Mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are most commonly associated with breast cancer, but they are also tied to an increased risk of several other cancers, including ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. A BRCA gene mutation can also make a man more likely to develop breast cancer.

“Since these genetic mutations can affect someone’s risk for several different types of cancer, it’s important that you discuss any family history of cancer with both your relatives and your Wellstar care team,” Wellstar Urologist Dr. Justin Watson said. 

These conversations can be beneficial to both you and your family members.

“Men diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age may pass along a higher genetic risk for both prostate and breast cancer to their children,” Dr. Scott Miller, Wellstar Urology specialty lead and director of robotic surgical services, explained. “Understanding these risks empowers families to take preventive steps earlier and opens the door to targeted screening programs.”

If you are wondering if you may have a genetic predisposition to certain cancers, the Wellstar Center for Genetics has nine convenient locations, and our genetic counselors can help you learn more about your risk. Your physician can refer you for genetic testing, or you can contact the genetics team directly to make an appointment. In an initial 45-minute appointment, your genetic counselor will meet with you to review your family history and discuss testing options. Most testing can be done with a saliva sample.

Genetic testing is one way that families can work to protect and inform each other so everyone can reduce their cancer risk. “The whole family is in this together,” Kimberly King-Spohn, director of the Wellstar Center for Genetics, said. “Testing helps us manage their risk and know what they're at risk for, and it's an opportunity for prevention.”

To learn more about the Wellstar Center for Genetics or make an appointment, call (470) 793-7472.

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Medical Genetics Justin Michael Watson Scott David Miller
Breast Cancer Cancer Care Primary Care Mens Health Womens Health
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Illustration of baseball with ribbon and bats. Text reads "Strike out cancer"

Highlights

Commemorate Cancer Survivors Day with Wellstar

Wellstar supports people with cancer throughout their journeys, from early screenings to diagnosis to treatment. But our encouragement and dedication to delivering world-class, compassionate care doesn’t end in remission.

Across our system, Wellstar honors the bravery and strength of survivors every day, rejoicing in each milestone. This National Cancer Survivors Day, June 1, 2025, we are proud to pay tribute to the people who have conquered cancer and offer hope to those still fighting. This year’s Cancer Survivors Day theme—Strike Out Cancer—exemplifies our commitment to being a steadfast source of encouragement for cancer survivors and fighters across Georgia.

“On Cancer Survivors Day, we reflect on our patients’ journeys and cherish victories over cancer. We also offer compassion and support for people currently fighting cancer, so they and their loved ones know they’re not alone,” said Wellstar Director of Oncology Professional Practices Melissa Higdon.

Several Wellstar facilities will host events—and you can be a part of the celebration!

 

Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers in Cartersville
June 5, 2025
10 AM to 3 PM
100 Market Place Blvd., Cartersville
Contact Mary Ellen Smither at [email protected] or (678) 858-1146.

Wellstar Cobb Medical Center
May 30, 2025
12 to 2 PM     
4040 Hospital West Drive, Austell
Behind the building in the garden and parking lot area
Contact Ashley Dapremont at [email protected] or (470) 732-4523.

Wellstar Douglas Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
8954 Hospital Drive, Douglasville
Surgical services lobby
Contact Diane Harris at [email protected] or (470) 644-5411.

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
320 Kennestone Hospital Blvd., Marietta
First floor
Required RSVP, contact Nancy Page at [email protected] or (470) 793-7470.

Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center
June 1, 2025
2 to 4 PM
3000 Hospital Blvd., Roswell
Main lobby in hospital
Contact Sarah Bentley at [email protected] or (770) 751-2556.

Wellstar Paulding Medical Center
June 1, 2025
144 Bill Carruth Parkway, Hiram
Second floor auditorium
Contact Kellie Mitchell at [email protected] or (470) 644-8106.

Wellstar Spalding Medical Center
May 28, 2025
12 to 2 PM
Drive-thru event
608 South 8th St., Griffin
Women’s Center
Contact Sherry Connell at [email protected] or (470) 935-5526.

Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center
June 6, 2025
10 AM to 12 PM
111 Medical Drive, LaGrange
Enoch Callaway Cancer Center
Contact Stephanie Hand at [email protected].

Learn more about cancer care at Wellstar.

Keep reading
Healthcare leaders and providers breaking ground for the new cancer center being built at Wellstar Spalding Medical Center

Newsroom

Wellstar Expanding Cancer Care in Spalding County

At Wellstar Spalding Medical Center, we are your dedicated healthcare partner—putting you at the center of your cancer care and helping you navigate with clarity, hope and compassion. That’s why we’re proud to expand our medical oncology and infusion services to better serve our community.

The state-of-the-art cancer care facility promises greater access to advanced cancer treatments and improved convenience for patients in the Spalding community and surrounding areas.

Keep reading
Exterior of Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, NARC and Wellstar logos

Newsroom

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Renews Accreditation for Rectal Cancer Program

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center has earned another three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing personalized, high-quality cancer care close to home for patients in Georgia.

To achieve voluntary NAPRC accreditation, a rectal center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology and medical oncology.

At Wellstar, rectal cancer patients have a multidisciplinary team on their side through every step of treatment. Each patient works with a nurse navigator to schedule appointments with specialists. Patients meet with a medical oncologist, as well as a surgical oncologist or colorectal surgeon. Imaging and lab tests are reviewed by a multidisciplinary board of rectal cancer physicians, efficiently providing patients with input from several experts in cancer care. During the course of treatment, that multidisciplinary board will continue to follow the patient and discuss the best next steps, tailoring care to fit each patient’s individual needs.

Additionally, the program at Wellstar Kennestone met standards addressing the clinical services that the rectal cancer program provides, including Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA testing), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) imaging for cancer staging, which allow patients to start treatment within a defined timeframe. Rectal cancer programs accredited by the NAPRC undergo a site visit every three years and are also accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.  

“Our patients are surrounded by a team of experienced rectal cancer experts who provide the highest level of personalized care,” said Wellstar Surgical Oncologist Dr. Sahir Shroff, who serves as the rectal cancer program chair.  “We are proud to be the first medical center in metro Atlanta to receive this important accreditation. Our pioneering efforts to adhere to the most rigorous standards and combine the latest technologies and techniques help us achieve excellence in rectal cancer care for our patients.”

Accreditation by the NAPRC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with rectal cancer. The NAPRC provides the structure and resources to develop and operate a high-quality rectal center. Accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a rectal center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive rectal cancer services. Wellstar Kennestone earned its first accreditation in 2022.

Keep reading
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