Identification of Individuals at High Risk for Pancreatic Cancer and the Role of Genetic Testing to Guide Screening with Fay Kastrinos, MD, MPH

This talk will address assessment of familial risk for pancreatic cancer and identify high risk individuals from familial pancreatic cancer kindreds as well as those with germline pathogenic variants associated with pancreatic cancer who can benefit from screening and early detection strategies. The role of genetic risk assessment and testing will be highlighted for its utility in therapeutic decision-making and stratification of risk to support pancreatic cancer screening in appropriate individuals.

Only the live session qualifies for CEUs but when possible, we host the recordings on our website and NSGC recommends participants to use their personal email instead of work email addresses to ensure they receive their CEU certificates.

Ambry Genetics is approved as a provider for continuing education program by NSGC and ASCLS P.A.C.E ® Program.

Fay Kastrinos, MD, MPH | Presenter

Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Dr. Fay Kastrinos is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She serves as the Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer High Risk and Prevention Clinic and the Muzzi Mirza Pancreatic Cancer Prevention and Genetics Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Kastrinos’ clinical and research interests focus on genetic risk stratification for the early detection and prevention of gastrointestinal cancers, notably colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. She has led clinical studies aimed at screening and early detection of these cancers and in the development of clinical risk assessment tools for the routine use by healthcare providers. Dr. Kastrinos’ research related to genetic risk assessment and prediction for inherited cancer syndromes has led to significant clinical contributions in the field as it relates to optimizing strategies for the early detection and prevention of gastrointestinal malignancies. Dr. Kastrinos is involved in multiple national and international collaborations to improve genetic risk assessment and optimize surveillance strategies for inherited colorectal and pancreatic cancer. The research also spans to the evaluation of novel biomarker for early cancer detection as well as innovative cancer prevention modalities.

Dr. Kastrinos has received grant support from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and Columbia University’s CTSA for her investigation of risk assessment tools for the early identification of carriers of inherited cancer syndromes to promote cancer screening and prevention. Dr. Kastrinos is also site-PI for NCI funded studies that aim to improve the risk assessment and early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Kastrinos trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Massachusetts and completed her Gastroenterology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. She received specialty training in clinical cancer genetics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute during her fellowship and also obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is board certified in Gastroenterology.

Tripti Paudyal, MS, CGC | Moderator

Sr. Genomic Science Liaison, Ambry Genetics

Tripti Paudyal is a Sr. Genomic Science Liaison at Ambry and covers the South-Central territory. Prior to joining Ambry in 2015, Tripti worked as a clinical genetic counselor at Texas Oncology. Tripti received her Master’s in Genetic Counseling from the University of Oklahoma and her Bachelor’s in Cell and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University. Tripti is a regional representative for the Licensure Committee of the Texas Society of Genetic Counselors. Her research interests include clinicians’ panel ordering preferences for different cancer cohorts.