Genetic testing and counseling have become an important preventive health measure in breast cancer care, providing individuals with critical information that can make a significant difference in treating the disease.
Some cancers are caused by mutations in a person’s genes (some are caused by other types of mutations not in genes). Some of these gene variants are passed down through family and can be related to hereditary breast cancer, which can cause the cancer to develop at an earlier than average age and can cause another type of cancer in the body.
For this reason, all individuals with a family history of cancer, including breast and ovarian, should consider genetic testing.
Understanding your risk for hereditary cancer starts with knowing your personal and family history, such as:
- Knowing the history of cancer on your mom and dad’s side of the family
- Knowing at least three generations of cancer history (parents, children, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and other close blood relatives)
- Knowing details such as the type of cancer and what age your relative was when they were diagnosed
If you have a family history of cancer, genetic testing may help guide your cancer prevention and screening strategies or may be a key component of your risk assessment. People with familial or hereditary cancer risk have a higher chance of developing cancer during their lifetime. Knowing if you are at higher risk for cancer empowers you and your care team to create a personalized plan to reduce your risk of developing cancer, or increase the likelihood of finding cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage. This personalized prevention or treatment plan may include extra surveillance to find cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage, lifestyle modifications, medications to lower the risk for certain cancers, and surgery to greatly lower your risk.
If you can answer yes to any of the questions below, you may be a good candidate for hereditary cancer testing:
- At any age, you have a personal history of: Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Colorectal, Endometrial or Uterine cancer.
- You have a family history of:
- Breast cancer at age 50 or younger
- Ovarian cancer or male breast cancer at any age
- Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry AND have a relative diagnosed with breast cancer
- A first-degree relative with pancreatic, colon, rectal, or endometrial cancer at age 49 or younger
- A gene mutation found in a family member
Genetic Testing & Counseling at Griffin Health
If you have any of the red flags for hereditary cancer, call the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness High-Risk Breast Cancer Clinic at 203-732-7233 for an appointment. A full history and risk assessment will be performed. If you meet criteria for genetic testing, a sample can be collected for analysis. When the results are available, you will review them with a provider and create an individualized plan for cancer screening.
Depending upon your initial counseling, a blood or saliva sample is collected at The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby or at Griffin Faculty Physicians at Ivy Brook, Suite 111, in Shelton, using a special kit, which will be shipped to Myriad Genetics for analysis. Test results will be delivered to the Center in a few weeks, and a physician at the Center for Cancer Care or the High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic will meet with you to discuss your results.