Familial Cancers Program

The Familial Cancers Program at Riley at IU Health is the first program of its kind in Indiana to provide specialized testing and genetic counseling to families at risk for certain types of cancers. The program was founded in 1993 in order to help families become more informed about the types of cancers that may be passed down through their genetics.

We provide specialized testing and counseling services to at-risk pediatric patients in a relaxed, patient-centered environment. Our team works closely with you and your child so that everyone understands the condition and what it means for your family. We then work with associated departments at Riley at IU Health to refer your child for further treatment and follow-up care (such as gastroenterology to look for the presence of colon polyps or endocrinology if at high risk for thyroid cancer).

We provide genetic evaluation and testing services for children with the following conditions:

• Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Children with this inherited condition are at high risk for developing multiple types of cancer, including leukemia, osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.
• Familial adenomatous polyposis. Children with this inherited condition develop hundreds of thousands of adenomatous polyps throughout the colon. These types of polyps are benign (noncancerous), but they can become cancerous if they are not controlled.
• Juvenile polyposis syndrome. In this inherited condition, children develop multiple benign polyps before the age of 20, typically in the colon.
• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Children with this inherited condition develop noncancerous hamartomatous polyps along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, typically in the stomach and intestines. 
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Previously known as Wermer syndrome, children with this condition develop tumors in the endocrine (hormone-producing) glands.
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. In this inherited condition, children develop three types of tumors: medullary thyroid cancer, parathyroid tumors or pheochromocytoma.
• Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. Children with this inherited condition develop hemangioblastomas (blood vessel tumors of the brain, spinal cord and eye).
• Retinoblastoma. This is an inherited eye cancer that most often affects young children. The condition starts in the retina (the sensitive lining on the inside of the eye).
• Children diagnosed with multiple primary tumors. In this condition, children have developed tumors in multiple primary locations, meaning that the cancer does not have a single site of origin in the body.