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What is Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment

and who needs it?

Windy Christy is a physician assistant and patient navigator with Gibson
Prevention Center at SeHealth’s Gibson Cancer Center.

When Angelina Jolie broke the news about her genetic if cancer occurs frequently in your family, genetic testing
testing results, a new day dawned for cancer treatment. By may be an important first step for you. If a greater than av-
opening up about her medical decisions to prevent cancer erage risk of cancer is found, there are a number of things
before it started, she shone a bright light on the positives you and your healthcare professional can do to manage
and negatives of genetic testing for cancer. So why did she that risk:
do it? Research has shown that up to 10 percent of cancers
are due to factors passed from one generation to the next. - You might be advised to have more frequent screening
These syndromes are known as hereditary cancers and ge- to help detect cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage and
netic tests can determine a person’s risk for developing improve cancer survival.
these cancers. Medical professionals get concerned when - Your healthcare professional may recommend preventive
we see red flags for hereditary cancers that include family strategies, including risk-reducing medications or surger-
members with: ies, that may reduce your risk of developing cancer.
- You and your healthcare professional can make more
· A diagnosis of cancer at a young age informed decisions on your treatment options.
· Several family members with cancer - Test results can help your relatives learn more about the
· Relatives with more than one type of cancer inherited risk and how it may affect them.
· A history of different cancers in the same person
· Rare or unusual cancers (like ovarian cancer, pancreatic In addition, family members who do not carry mutations
cancer, or male breast cancers) that increase their cancer risk may avoid unnecessary med-
· Ashkenazi or eastern European ancestry ical interventions. These results also provide valuable
information for use in customizing medical management
There are many benefits to getting tested, regardless of the plans, can help your healthcare professional make a timely
eventual result. If one of your family members had cancer, and accurate diagnosis and assist your healthcare profes-
there is a chance that you inherited a gene mutation that not sional in making important decisions about the manage-
only increases your personal risk of cancer, but also could ment of your disease.
be passed to the next generation. Those who are carriers of
hereditary cancer gene mutations could be at risk of getting Genetic testing is not for everyone, but if you or your fami-
cancer earlier in life than the general population. The soon- ly members have any of the red flags mentioned above, call
er genetic testing is done, the more likely it is that the risk Patient Navigators Catherine Gaines or Windy Christy at
can be managed appropriately. Gibson Prevention Center to schedule an appointment for
further evaluation at (910) 671-5357.
If you have had cancer at a young age, a rare cancer, or Page 37