About the Rocky Mountain Cancer Genetics Coalition and the Cancer Genetics Network

The Rocky Mountain Cancer Genetics Coalition (RMCGC) is a project that began in 1998 as one of the centers participating in the Cancer Genetics Network (CGN). Until 2007, the RMCGC included three sites, Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, University of Colorado Cancer Center, and University of New Mexico Epidemiology and Cancer Control.

Today, RMCGC is at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. We continue to follow-up with recruited individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and their family members to provide information to a registry that is part of the Cancer Genetics Network.

The Cancer Genetics Network is a national effort to develop a resource to help researchers better understand what causes cancer and how to improve its detection, prevention, and treatment. For this project researchers are most interested in studying families in which there is a history of cancer, although families where there is little or no history of cancer are also valuable. Many research studies need more participants than any one cancer research center can enroll. Therefore, the national network is made up of 14 centers, each with several partner locations. Each center will invite people who may be willing to be in future cancer research studies into a network.

By combining people from all of the network centers, this national network will provide a way for researchers to increase the number of study participants for certain research projects. This could make it possible for the research to happen more quickly and effectively. The national network will also contribute to cancer research by gathering some basic medical and family history information about each participant. This information will be updated every year and may be useful in answering some basic research questions about cancer and genetics.