On June 16, 2022, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) hosted the PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome Foundation's 2022 PTEN Patient Symposium, an in-person gathering for patients and families. Attendees were welcomed by Suzanne MacFarland, MD, an attending physician in the Division of Oncology and the Cancer Predisposition Program at CHOP. Speakers from CHOP included Denise Adams, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program, who spoke about PTEN-related vascular anomalies; and Andy Bauer, MD, Director of the Pediatric Thyroid Center, who spoke about PTEN thyroid-related issues. Breakout sessions were moderate by CHOP staff members Emily Shabason, MD, Lisa Schwartz, PhD, Brandy DeRosa, PhD, Kristin Zelley, MS, LCGC, and Sarah Baldino, MS, LCGC.
In 2021, the PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome Foundation named CHOP a PTEN Foundation Center of Excellence. Centers of Excellence offer the highest standards in multidisciplinary care for patients, including, but not limited to, board-certified specialists in all disciplines necessary for top patient care, provision for a patient navigator, and ongoing PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome education.
PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome includes a group of clinical disorders caused by alterations in the PTEN gene. There is a lifetime risk for developing specific cancers related to the syndrome, including breast cancer, thyroid cancer and endometrial cancer.
