Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program
At Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), we not only treat patients who have gastrointestinal (GI) cancers — we help prevent people from getting these cancers of the digestive system in the first place.
If genetic testing shows you are at high risk for a GI cancer, our team of gastroenterologists, genetic counselors and medical geneticists at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program can expertly assess, screen and monitor you in order to reduce that risk.
Programs for screening and surveillance (monitoring) of GI cancers have been found to detect cancer at an earlier stage, when it is curable. We can help assess your personal risk of cancer and design a personalized prevention plan for you.
What happens at your first appointment
Before your visit to the Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program at SCCA, our GI experts will review your medical records, your family history of GI and other cancers and the results of any tests you may have had elsewhere.
Once we have this information, we will schedule a time for you to come in to discuss your results and work with you to build your personalized prevention program. Depending on your unique risk profile, you may meet with one or more providers — such as a gastroenterologist, medical geneticist, genetic counselor or nutritionist — during this appointment. Your appointment will last about two hours.
Your plan will be as unique as you are. For instance, if your test results show you are at risk for colon cancer, your plan may include a yearly colonoscopy. If you have a different type of risk, our gastroenterologist might prescribe a medication. You might have surveillance and screening endoscopies done at SCCA or the University of Washington Medical Center. Sometimes, we refer patients to the High-Risk Surveillance Clinic at SCCA for further care.
Care team
The Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program team is made up of experts from a variety of specialties within SCCA.
Find care team profiles
Meet the caring, dedicated people who take care of you and your family at SCCA.
Genetic counselors
SCCA Genetic Counseling Service providers are all licensed, board-certified genetic counselors.
Lauren Brown provides counseling for a variety of hereditary cancer syndromes. She enjoys coming alongside patients to share meaningful and relevant genetic health information. She is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health. In her free time, Lauren enjoys biking and overlanding (a fusion of camping and off-roading).
Lauren Facchini provides counseling for a variety of hereditary cancer syndromes. She has a special interest in genitourinary malignancies and focuses on helping patients understand how genetic test results can impact their personal and family’s risk for disease. She is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health.
Cynthia Handford has been a genetic counselor since 2007 and has worked in both clinical and laboratory settings. She has a special interest in hereditary cancer and enjoys helping patients and their families use genetic information to be proactive with their health. Cynthia is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling as well as the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health.
Everett Lally provides counseling for a variety of hereditary cancer syndromes. He has a special interest in cancer genetics with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases and prostate cancer. He is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health.
Mercy Laurino is a certified genetic counselor. She manages SCCA’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program, Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program, Lung Cancer and Early Detection Program, as well as the Tobacco Cessation Counseling and the Genetic Counseling services. She is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health. She is the recent recipient of the International Leader award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
Lorraine Naylor provides counseling to patients referred for a variety of inherited conditions. She has a special interest in cancer genetics, with a focus on gastrointestinal malignancies. She is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health.
Britta Sjoding is a certified genetic counselor and primarily provides cancer genetic counseling service to our SCCA community sites. Counseling patients regarding hereditary cancer syndromes since 2009, she is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and licensed by the Washington State Department of Health.
