Genetic Counseling and Testing
If you are a woman with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, you may be concerned that you too will develop one of these diseases. And for good reason. Some families have cancer related to an inherited gene mutation.

Women with one of these gene mutations are at much greater risk for breast and ovarian cancer than the population as a whole. Genetic testing can reveal whether you have one of these gene mutations.

Along with your age, personal and family medical history, and reproductive history, genetic testing can help you and your
physician assess your personal risk of developing cancer. With this information, you and your physician can create a screening and prevention plan to help you take steps to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer.

Genetic testing can also help a patient who has been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer make decisions regarding her treatment process.

Persons who may benefit from genetic testing include:

• Families with women with breast cancer diagnosed before the age of 50
• Women of Ashkenazi/Eastern European Jewish descent

Women with a personal or family history of any of the following also can benefit:

• Ovarian cancer (at any age)
• Male breast cancer
• Person with both breast and ovarian cancer
• Bilateral breast cancer

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas provides a genetic counseling and testing program to help women identify risks and create a plan for monitoring her health. As a program participant, you will meet with a genetics counselor to review your personal and family history and to discuss any significant risk factors. You will learn about the role of genes in causing disease,  disease risk, inheritance, genetic testing and monitoring options.

After talking with the counselor, if you choose to pursue genetic testing, blood will be collected and sent for testing. A laboratory will analyze the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in the blood. The vast majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers are due to a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. These mutations can be inherited from either your mother or father.

Once the lab analysis is complete, you will meet again with the genetics counselor to discuss the testing results and possible health implications. These test results can be shared with your physician to help make medical
management decisions.

Benefits of testing include:

• Provides additional information regarding potential disease risks
• Helps in the identification of medical management options for reducing your cancer risk
• Provides health risk information that is potentially important for family members
• Reduces anxiety and stress in many individuals

Limitations include:

• Genetic testing does not detect all causes of hereditary cancer
• A negative genetic test result is most helpful when there is a known mutation in the family
• Not all genetic variations are fully understood at this time

Most health insurance companies will pay for genetic testing. Antidiscrimination laws protect you from changes in your health insurance coverage due to identification of a predisposition cancer gene mutation.

For more information, call 214-345-8365.