Genetic nurse Morgan Murphy's role is to understand and establish a family’s cancer history to identify high risk genes that might run in the bloodline.
In healthcare, as in life, knowledge is empowering.
But knowledge for some people is also quite painful.
Genetic nurse Morgan Murphy has to balance those contrasting emotions on a daily basis.
Morgan is a genetic nurse based in Bendigo Health’s cancer centre.
He's been coordinating the Family Cancer Clinic in Bendigo and Mildura for 10 years in conjunction with genetic counsellors from the Parkville Familial Cancer Centre at Peter Mac and RMH.
His role is to understand and establish a family’s cancer history to identify high risk genes that might run in the bloodline, and to provide access to genetic testing and counselling.
He sees a range of people from those who’ve already been diagnosed with cancer to people who have been referred by a GP or specialist as a potential risk.
For some the results are reassuring, for others it’s upsetting and for those with a diagnosis it can provide clarity for treatment options.
“Sometimes we see people who don’t really want to know (about their cancer risk),” he said.
“It’s about trying to understand why they’re thinking like that, what are the issues for them, and providing support in decision making.
“It can be challenging to tell someone they’ve got a change in a gene which gives them a high risk of developing cancer, but we’ve already started the conversation about how they will manage bad news or stress in their life.”
Those conversations can be difficult ones, particularly for two siblings, one of whom has inherited a gene change putting him or her at risk of cancer while the other has not.
Morgan assists families and individuals to communicate potential risks to their children and other family members, some of whom might be estranged.
In his decade as a genetic nurse, Morgan has seen plenty of changes, not least in the cost and breadth of testing.
Ten years ago it would take six months for just one or two genes to be tested, now they can test multiple genes at once with results available in weeks.
One thing that remains constant is the stress and anxiety of his patients.
“People can be pretty stressed when they get referred into a genetics clinic because they’ve either just been diagnosed and they’re dealing with treatment and decision making, or they’ve got a family history and they’re really worried about their own level of risk,” he said.
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