WHO SHOULD SEEK GENETIC COUNSELING?
Schneider recommends genetic counseling for people who: • Have three relatives on one side of the family who were diagnosed with the same type of cancer. • Have a relative who was unusually young when diagnosed with cancer. • Have a relative who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. CONCERNS ABOUT GENETIC TESTING: Many patients think the idea of genetic testing is scary. Schneider said, “You have watched people in your family get cancer; it may be very frightening to face the possibility that you are also at higher risk.” However, Schneider said knowing your risk offers many benefits including early screening and lifestyle changes. “They [patients] can benefit from increased screening, so rather than waiting, for example, until they’re 40 or 50 to start mammograms, they would start at a much earlier age, and maybe there are even better imaging techniques that they can take advantage of. So, it’s all about protecting them from getting diagnosed with an advanced stage cancer. That’s
