Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week 2026: Strengthening Knowledge, Supporting Patients with CGA-IGC

Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week begins September 27!  CGA-IGC will mark the week with educational content, patient perspectives and practical resources for healthcare providers for their practice. From NCCN Guidelines updates and cascade testing to patient stories, infographics, specialist care resources and research collaborations, we’ll highlight opportunities to strengthen knowledge, support conversations and connect our community with care and research.

A heartfelt thank you to our Communications Committee for the hard work, expertise and creativity behind this content. In keeping with CGA-IGC’s mission to serve our members and the wider #HereditaryGICommunity, we look forward to sharing these resources throughout #HereditaryCancerWeek and beyond. 

Here’s what’s coming!

September 27: Our Communication Committee member Jennifer Fijor, ARNP kicks off Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week with a blog exploring key changes in the June 2026 NCCN Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment Guidelines, including expanded Lynch syndrome assessment, updated polyposis guidance and a new section on hereditary esophageal cancer. She highlights what these updates mean for clinical practice and where questions remain.  Read her blog HERE

September 28: Our communication committee member, Megan Dwyer, MS, CGC explores why sharing genetic test results with relatives doesn’t always lead to testing, drawing on two recent studies examining gaps in cascade testing. She shares barriers families face, disparities in testing uptake and the role of genetic counselors and other clinicians in helping families take the next step. The cascade testing blog post is accompanied by a practical, one-page infographic created by Communications Committee Chair Michelle Springer, MS, CGC highlighting resources that healthcare providers can share with patients and families to support genetic testing, family communication and access to support. Learn more on Monday.

September 29-October 1: Over the next three days, we’ll be revisiting three powerful patient perspective stories. Each story will be accompanied by a practical, practice-supporting infographic created by our Communication Committee members Anna Strang, MS, CGC and Dylane Wineland, MS, CGC. These infographics on CDH1 and CTNNA1-related cancer risk, Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) are useful resources for healthcare providers discussing hereditary cancer risk, as well as patients and families seeking to understand these conditions. They highlight key red flags for genetic evaluation and offer resources to support conversations about testing, family history and access to specialist care. Stay tuned!

September 30: is Previvor Day, a reminder of the role healthcare professionals play in supporting individuals living with inherited cancer risk who have not had a cancer diagnosis. For previvors with hereditary GI cancer predispositions, care involves ongoing decisions, uncertainty and implications for the whole family. Let’s make space for patients’ questions, priorities and experiences and help them feel informed and supported throughout their care. Released during the 2025 Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week, read Michelle Springer’s blog, “National Previvor Day: Honoring Resilience and Strength!”, for perspectives on genetic testing, advocacy and supporting previvors:

October 2: CGA-IGC’s Find a Clinic helps healthcare providers, patients and families locate centers worldwide offering genetic testing and/or care for hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. The interactive map also includes pancreatic cancer surveillance programs, making it a practical resource for identifying services and supporting referrals.

Is your clinical center on the map? We invite you to check!  If your center is missing, complete this short questionnaire HERE so we can add it. If your center is already listed but needs an update, click here to update your details. This opportunity is available to CGA-IGC members. Not a member, or need to renew? Join or renew HERE.

October 3:  Research is essential to advancing our understanding of hereditary GI cancers and improving care. CGA-IGC members play a key role in this effort, often leading collaborative studies that bring together diverse expertise and perspectives. This week, we’ll highlight some of these important research collaborations. Today we’re starting with Lynch syndrome INtegrative Epidemiology And GEnetics (LINEAGE) Consortium.   The LINEAGE Consortium brings together 34 institutions to advance care for individuals and families with Lynch syndrome. By pooling clinical data, patient-reported outcomes and linking biospecimen resources, the consortium aims to better understand cancer risk and improve prevention and early detection. Institutions caring for individuals with Lynch syndrome are invited to explore opportunities to participate.  Learn more about the consortium and how to get involved. Listen to the LINEAGE podcast HERE Read the blog HERE

October 4:  Gastric CDH1 Multicenter Consortium: The GASTRIC Consortium brings together researchers across multiple centers to address gaps in care for individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic CDH1 variants. By combining clinical data, the consortium aims to better understand gastric cancer risk, inform management decisions and improve long-term care after surgery. Centers caring for eligible patients are invited to participate. Learn more about the consortium and how to get involved. Listen to the Gastric Consortium podcast HERE Read the blog HERE

International Replication Repair Deficiency Consortium - This international consortium brings together researchers and clinicians to advance understanding and care for individuals with rare genetic disorders, particularly constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD). Building on its origins as a local registry, the collaboration supports the development of diagnostic tools, a biobank and research into potential treatments, including immunotherapy and vaccines. Listen to the accompanying podcast to learn about its evolution and the vital roles of patient advocacy and international collaboration.

Listen to the podcast HERE  Read the blog HERE