Publications by authors named "Lara Hawkes"

Participants in the 100,000 Genomes Project (100kGP) could consent to receive additional finding (AF) results, individual variants relating to genes associated with susceptibility to cancer and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). In the study reported here, qualitative interviews were used to explore the experiences of National Health Service (NHS) professionals from across England who were tasked with returning over 80,000 "no AF" results and 700 positive AF results to 100kGP participants. Interviews were conducted with 45 professionals from a range of backgrounds, including Genetic Counsellors, Clinical Geneticists, FH Clinical Nurse Specialists and Clinical Scientists.

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Carpenter syndrome (CRPTS) is a rare autosomal recessive condition caused by biallelic variants in genes that encode negative regulators of hedgehog signalling (RAB23 [CRPT1] or, more rarely, MEGF8 [CRPT2]), and is characterised by craniosynostosis, polysyndactyly, and other congenital abnormalities. We describe a further six families comprising eight individuals with MEGF8-associated CRPT2, increasing the total number of reported cases to fifteen, and refine the phenotype of CRPT2 compared to CRPT1. The core features of craniosynostosis, polysyndactyly and (in males) cryptorchidism are almost universal in both CRPT1 and CRPT2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a genetic disorder tied to high cancer risk due to TP53 gene mutations, with no approved preventive treatments currently available, although metformin shows promise in early studies.
  • The MILI trial aims to assess the effectiveness of metformin combined with annual MRI surveillance in 224 adults with LFS, measuring cancer-free and tumor-free survival over five years.
  • The study will also explore metformin's safety, quality of life effects, and its potential mechanisms as a cancer preventative, while evaluating the effectiveness of MRI scans in detecting cancer in LFS patients.
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Purpose: The UK 100,000 Genomes Project offered participants screening for additional findings (AFs) in genes associated with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or hereditary cancer syndromes including breast/ovarian cancer (HBOC), Lynch, familial adenomatous polyposis, MYH-associated polyposis, multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), and von Hippel-Lindau. Here, we report disclosure processes, manifestation of AF-related disease, outcomes, and costs.

Methods: An observational study in an area representing one-fifth of England.

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Sporadic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are rare tumors, with a median age at diagnosis of 60 years. Familial GISTs are very rare and typically associated with earlier onset, with an average age at diagnosis of 48 years. To date, just over 50 familial cases associated with a germline variant KIT or PDGFRa genes have been published.

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Objective: Phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare, but strongly heritable tumours. Variants in succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) subunits are identified in approximately 25% of cases. However, clinical and genetic information of patients with SDHC variants are underreported.

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Clinical testing with chromosomal microarray (CMA) is most commonly undertaken for clinical indications such as intellectual disability, dysmorphic features and/or congenital abnormalities. Identification of a structural aberration (SA) involving a cancer susceptibility gene (CSG) constitutes a type of incidental or secondary finding. Laboratory reporting, risk communication and clinical management of these structural aberrations with secondary implications (SASIs) is currently inconsistent.

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The article has been corrected to account for one patient being investigated through genome sequencing rather than exome sequencing as originally published; thus amendments to the Abstract and Methods have been made as well as addition of the relevant authors and acknowledgment.

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Purpose: Germline WWOX pathogenic variants have been associated with disorder of sex differentiation (DSD), spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), and WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy (WOREE syndrome). We review clinical and molecular data on WWOX-related disorders, further describing WOREE syndrome and phenotype/genotype correlations.

Methods: We report clinical and molecular findings in 20 additional patients from 18 unrelated families with WOREE syndrome and biallelic pathogenic variants in the WWOX gene.

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Article Synopsis
  • Deletions on chromosome 15q14 can cause cleft palate and are often linked with intellectual disabilities, facial abnormalities, and heart defects, with MEIS2 gene haploinsufficiency being a potential reason for these issues.
  • Researchers studied 23 new patients, gathering data on 9 with MEIS2 sequence variants and 14 with microdeletions, primarily using whole-exome sequencing.
  • Patients displayed not only cleft palate and heart issues but also specific facial features, and those with larger deletions showed more severe intellectual disabilities, suggesting a different genetic factor affecting development near MEIS2.
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