New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service

The New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service (NZFGCS) is a multidisciplinary team of senior nurses, genetic counsellors, gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons that specialises in the assessment and management of familial gastrointestinal cancer syndromes.

On this page

Who we are

We are part of the Health NZ National Bowel Screening Programme strategy. We provide assessment, diagnosis, clinical management advice and long-term care for those individuals and families who have a familial predisposition to gastrointestinal cancer syndromes.

We are a national service with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Each office has a freephone contact number.

Contact us

Our clinical team consists of:

  • family history assessors (genetic counsellors and senior nurses)
  • gastroenterologists
  • colorectal surgeons.

What is familial gastrointestinal cancer?

Gastrointestinal cancers are those that occur in the digestive system — that is the oesophagus, stomach, small bowel, pancreas and the large bowel — also called the colon and sometimes colorectum. The most common of these is bowel cancer.

Familial gastrointestinal cancer is the cancer that runs in families. Some types of familial gastrointestinal cancer are inherited. This is where there is a known cancer syndrome.

Everyone has a risk of developing cancer but most cancer is not familial — it does not run in families. A small proportion of cancer (about 10-15 %) is thought to be due to inherited factors.

In New Zealand the chance of developing bowel cancer by the time you are 75 years of age is 6%. Sometimes there is a family history but the diagnosis occurred at an older age and there is no clear pattern from parent to child. Although the cancer may appear to be more common than you would expect to see in these families this may not be due to inherited factors. It can be due to chance and shared environmental factors such as diet, smoking and exercise as families tend to have similar habits.

Sometimes there is a really clear family history with more than one generation affected and diagnoses occurring at a young age (in genetics, under 50 years is considered young). Having a parent, brother, sister or child with cancer may increase your chance of developing a cancer, particularly if they were young when first diagnosed. In a small number of families there is an inherited mutation (gene problem) that increases your chance of developing cancer.

Many people overestimate the chance of developing cancer and it is important that if you are concerned you seek expert advice as to the likelihood of developing cancer for you and other family members.

Hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer informationPDF735 KB

Services we provide

The aim of the New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service is to reduce the number of cancers occurring in families by facilitating the required bowel screening for registered families.

We work with gastroenterology, surgical and genetics specialists across the country along with patients and their families, aiming to reduce the incidence of gut cancers that develop.

We provide advice in inherited conditions that predispose to cancers of the gut, keeping up to date with the latest international recommendations.

We contribute to research into these conditions and participate in the international societies that make recommendations so that New Zealanders can receive the most accurate advice.

Joining the surveillance reminder programme

Anyone we have assessed as high risk of developing a gastrointestinal cancer and who is an at risk individual within that family can join, such as those with:

  • known or possible Lynch syndrome
  • a clinical diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis or MYH associated polyposis
  • multiple small or large bowel polyps where a familial syndrome is suspected, such as Peutz – Jeghers syndrome and serrated polyposis.

Participation in the surveillance programme is by written consent after full assessment. You may opt out at any time without it affecting your future healthcare.

How we can help you

  • We offer specialist advice to assist in your care.
  • We will clarify your family's level of risk for developing gastrointestinal cancers or polyposis by confirming your family history.
  • We will advise if you and your family would benefit from regular screening to prevent cancer.
  • If you are found to be at high risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer polyps we will offer to co-ordinate your bowel surveillance
    (colonoscopy) because research has shown that this can save lives.
  • We provide information for families on familial gastrointestinal cancer.
  • We work with your Doctors to ensure you get the best advice and care.

Syndromes

Lynch syndrome Serrated Polyposis Syndrome (SPS) Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)
MYH Associated Polyposis (MAP) Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC)

Consent to release information form

As a patient under assessment with the New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service, your family history assessor may ask you, or your relatives, to complete a consent to release information form.

Consent to release information form

Contact us

For general enquiries, fill out our enquiry form.

Enquiry form

Auckland

Freephone: 0800 554 555

Email: NZFGCS@adhb.govt.nz

Postal address:

Auckland City Hospital
Private Bag 92024
Auckland 1142

Wellington

Freephone: 0800 262 780

Email: NZFGCS@ccdhb.org.nz

Postal address:

Wellington Hospital
Private Bag 7902
Wellington South 6242

Christchurch

Freephone: 0800 023 445

Email: NZFGCS@adhb.govt.nz

Postal address:

Christchurch Public Hospital
Private Bag 4710
Christchurch 8140

Referral information

You may be referred to this service if:

  • you have a history of family members over 2 or 3 generations with bowel cancer or polyposis or other gastrointestinal cancers, such as stomach or pancreas.
  • you or a close family member have or may have more bowel polyps than usual, a gastrointestinal cancer or an inherited gastrointestinal cancer syndrome.

We can only accept referrals from health professionals.

Referral form