Chandrika Kurpad MS, LCGC - CGA-IGC Communications Committee Member Synthesized from the CGA-IGC 2026 podcast series, Episode 4 featuring Kimberly Zayhowski, a certified genetic counselor and assistant program director at Boston University, and Dr. Iris Romero, a professor of OB/GYN at the University of Chicago who specializes in hereditary cancer prevention and LGBTQ+ health, in conversation with host Ying Lu, a GYN medical oncologist who leads the Inherited GYN Cancer Progr

Thanks to our Communication Committee members for their valuable contribution to the 2026 FAP Awareness Week. If you missed any of our content we shared during FAP Awareness Week, which took place from June 14-20, you can find all of the resources below in one place. A timely reminder: valuable FAP-focused research grant opportunities are currently available. CGA-IGC is proud to partner with the Roxanne and Henry Brandt Foundation to offer up to two 2-year research awards fo

Dylane Wineland, MS, LCGC - Communications Committee Member Each year, National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week is observed beginning on the Thursday before the Juneteenth holiday, highlighting the disproportionate impact that cancer has on Black families and communities. This year's observance takes place June 18 through June 24 and serves as an opportunity to encourage conversations about family health history, promote cancer prevention and screening, and raise awareness

Jennifer Fijor, ARNP - CGA-IGC Communications Committee member Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is one of the well-known hereditary cancer syndromes, caused by an autosomal dominant pathologic germline variant in the APC gene.¹ If left untreated, there is nearly a 100% risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Initial presentation is hundreds to thousands of adenomatous polyps during colonoscopy. FAP makes up approximately 0.5% of CRC cases and occurs in approximately 1/8,500 peo

Courtesy of Fight CRC We are thrilled to announce that the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee has officially established a specific code for Lynch syndrome, while also allowing a path for the inclusion of BRCA1, BRCA2, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Please see Fight CRC’s press release for more details. Thanks to all our members who signed on to Fight CRC's letter to the CDC in support of creating an ICD-10 code for Lynch syndrome. This represents a critical advance

¿En qué medida son equitativas las pruebas genéticas de cáncer hereditario entre los distintos grupos raciales y étnicos? Las pruebas multigénicas de cáncer hereditario permiten identificar variantes patógenicas o probablemente patógenicas (P/LP) que orientan la prevención, el cribado y el tratamiento del cáncer en los pacientes y sus familias. Sin embargo, persiste la preocupación de que las personas de grupos raciales y étnicos históricamente subrepresentados reciban r más

Zacharia Foda, MD, PhD - CGA-IGC Meeting Planning Committee Member While evidence-based risk reduction strategies for Lynch syndrome such as surveillance, chemoprevention, and dietary measures exist, recent data have raised some questions about their effectiveness for cancer prevention. A critical limitation of these studies is the lack of information on adherence to risk reduction care and modifying factors like family history, lifestyle habits, and medication use. To addres

Throughout this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we will highlight a new theme each week to focus our collective attention and action. As highlighted in our introduction, approximately 1 in 279 people in the U.S. are living with Lynch syndrome. Thanks to the expertise and generosity of our members, we can share a rich collection of valuable resources for Week 4 of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. While some may be familiar, others offer new insights and updates tha

Dylane Wineland, MS, LCGC - , CGA-IGC Communications Committee member

Emily Epstein, L.M.S.W - CGA-IGC JEDI Committee member March is National Social Work Month, and World Social Work Day is celebrated each year on the third Tuesday of March. It is a moment to recognize the role social workers play in supporting individuals, families, and communities. Social workers are everywhere in healthcare. Hospitals, oncology clinics, pediatrics, transplant teams, community programs, palliative care, behavioral health. There’s a joke - if you don’t know

Throughout this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we will highlight a new theme each week to focus our collective attention and action. For Week 3, we are highlighting a JEDI-centered theme and drawing attention to the disparities that continue to affect several minority communities. This week’s content features both new resources and previously shared materials you may have missed, but that are well worth revisiting. March 16 / We were pleased to kick off week 3 wit

Anuja Chitre, MS, CGC - CGA-IGC Communications Committee Member Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United States, and thus it is important to identify individuals at increased risk for CRC so that initiation, frequency, and method of screening can be appropriately determined. To identify individuals at higher risk for CRC, it is recommended to obtain a detailed family history (a three-generation cancer pedigree, including age at diagnosis) during

Chandrika Kurpad MS, LCGC - CGA-IGC Communications Committee Member This study was supported by the 2023 CGA-IGC & Fight CRC Early Career Award in Hereditary or Familial CRC. Learn more about our grants HERE . Colorectal cancer used to be thought of as a disease of older adults. That assumption no longer holds. Rates of colorectal cancer in people under 50 — known as early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) — have climbed steadily for decades. Today it is the leading cause

Throughout this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we will highlight a new theme each week to focus our collective attention and action. Week 2 2026 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Blog post Week 2 shines a spotlight on colorectal cancer research, highlighting the important contributions and discoveries emerging from the hereditary GI cancer community, as well as the resources available to support early-career researchers. March 9 / W e’re thrilled to kick off the

Mike Caprio - Author and FAP Patient Advocate Mike Caprio with his book "A Bump in the Road." I’ll never forget my reaction to the news. I was sitting on the couch in my living room. My dad sat beside me, giving a concerned side eye glance. My mom sat across from us, gripping her cup of tea with both hands. A distressed look had taken over her face as she said the words that sent my mind into a whirlwind. “Sweetie… the results have come back positive on that test we took a

Jennifer Fijor ARNP - CGA-IGC Communication Committee Member Read the paper HERE

Throughout this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we will highlight a new theme each week to focus our collective attention and action. Week 1 centers on Advocacy , featuring Fight CRC’s key initiatives, including United in Blue , Call on Congress , and important updates on early-onset colorectal cancer. March 1 / Kick off Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - We’re proud to once again xpartner with Fight CRC for United in Blue Volunteer Day . Our President, Elana

We were excited to once again serve as a resource for our members and the wider hereditary GI cancer community during the 2026 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. At CGA-IGC, our mission is to empower health care professionals with the knowledge they need to care for patients with hereditary GI cancer. Thanks again to our wonderful Communication Committee members who worked tirelessly to create this month's content. This would not be possible without their hard work and dedi

Michelle Springer, MS, CGC - Chair, CGA-IGC Communication Committee During Black History Month, we take time to celebrate the strength, achievements, and lasting impact of Black communities. It’s also an opportunity to address the inequities that continue to influence health outcomes today. The article “Genetic Evaluation for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes Among African Americans: A Critical Review” takes a closer look at one of those gaps: unequal access to genetic testing and

Michelle Springer, MS, CGC - Chair, CGA-IGC Communication Committee "CGA‑IGC is honored to once again join Fight CRC on the National Mall this March. Together, we’re amplifying the voices of families, survivors, and advocates as we advance awareness, prevention, and research in the fight against colorectal cancer." Elana Levinson, MS, MPH, CGC, CGAF President, CGA-IGC Blue Flags Initiative . United in Blue is FightCRC’s powerful initiative that transforms the National Ma