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For people considering hereditary cancer screening, genetic counseling offers space to ask questions and understand what the information could mean for them.
A hereditary cancer test may take three to four weeks to return results. The decision about whether to take the test can involve questions that have been present for much longer.
What could testing tell me? How would I use the result? Who can help me understand it? A genetic counselor can help answer those questions before testing.
Genetic testing can identify inherited variants associated with breast and other cancers, potentially helping people and their healthcare providers make decisions about screening and prevention.
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, jscreen is encouraging people to learn more about inherited risk and the guidance available to help them understand it.
“When results are paired with expert guidance, people can have a more informed conversation with their doctor about what comes next,” said Dr. Matt Goldstein, CEO of jscreen.
Learning that a harmful variant is present can open a discussion about a personalized screening and prevention plan. It can also prompt questions about what the finding means for relatives. Both are topics a genetic counselor can help explain.
A negative result also deserves context. It does not eliminate breast cancer risk, so personal and family history remain part of the discussion with a healthcare provider.
Preparing Your Questions
Start with what the test examines. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are familiar names, but other genes can also be associated with inherited breast cancer risk. Asking about the scope of a test is one way to understand the information it may provide.
A healthcare professional may ask which relatives had cancer, how old they were at diagnosis and whether they were on the mother’s or father’s side of the family. Those details help with interpreting the result.
A counselor can help someone prepare questions for their doctor about how the findings may affect screening or prevention.
Carrying a harmful variant associated with increased breast cancer susceptibility does not mean cancer will inevitably develop. Understanding that distinction can make it easier to approach the next medical conversation with specific questions.
Before deciding whether to pursue testing, a conversation with a healthcare professional can help someone understand what hereditary screening is designed to reveal.
Someone with cancer in the family may want to understand whether inherited risk could affect their screening. Others want to learn what testing involves before deciding whether to proceed.
The national nonprofit jscreen offers hereditary cancer screening through an at-home saliva collection program. Its panel examines 63 genes associated with inherited cancer susceptibility, and participants have access to a certified genetic counselor to review the findings.
The consultation offers time to review the findings with someone qualified to explain them. Participants can ask what the result means and how to share the information with their healthcare team.
It also helps to understand what genetic testing is designed to accomplish. A mammogram looks for signs of cancer. A hereditary test assesses inherited susceptibility. Learning about risk may lead to different screening recommendations, but it does not replace routine breast care.
Sharing What You Learn
A result may also provide information that matters to relatives.
A harmful genetic variant may be relevant to parents, siblings, adult children, or other relatives. A counselor can help identify who may also have reason to consider testing and explain how to share the information clearly.
It is possible to communicate relevant information while respecting another adult’s choice about whether to pursue testing.
A counselor can help the person tested decide which details to share with relatives and explain what the result does and does not mean.
Not every question must be answered immediately.
Genetic testing can reveal something important about inherited susceptibility. Taking time to understand the information, and to decide what to do with it, is also part of looking after one’s health.
