Genetic Consultation

This involves a detailed evaluation of you and your family’s medical histories with a trained genetics professional. Genetic consultation:

• Helps determine the best treatment and future risk management strategies for those who have already been diagnosed with cancer
• Assesses a person’s risk for developing cancer based on their family history of cancer
• Establishes screening and management recommendations to lower risk and detect cancer early
• Determine whether gene (DNA) testing is appropriate for you or your family member

Genetic Testing

Genetic testing looks at your genes to determine your risk and reveal if relatives have an increased risk of cancer. In some cases, genetic testing results can help determine treatment options for those newly diagnosed with cancer.

Genetic consultation for cancer risk may be helpful if you:

• Were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 or ovarian cancer at any age
• Have a personal or family history of colon cancer, especially before age 60
• Are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and have a family history of cancer
• Have had two or more different types of cancer yourself
• Have one or more close relatives who have had cancers at young ages, especially if those cancers may be linked (such as breast and ovarian)
• Have multiple, close relatives who were diagnosed with cancer before age 50, even if the cancers were of different types