Breast Cancer Awareness & Genetic Testing: What to Consider

Each year we dedicate the month of October to spreading awareness about breast cancer risk, supporting those fighting breast cancer, honoring those lost to breast cancer, and backing research and new technologies associated with early detection and finding a cure for the disease. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. and globally. Most breast cancers are sporadic, meaning they happen randomly, or by chance. A small percentage of breast cancers in the U.S., about 5-10%, occur due to a genetic cause, known as a mutation, making an individual more susceptible to developing breast cancer over one’s lifetime. Genetic testing gives individuals the chance to learn if their personal or family history of breast cancer is due to an inherited gene mutation. Here are 5 things men & women should consider when thinking about genetic testing:

1. Knowing your personal and family history is important -- Here are some reasons you could be referred to speak with a genetic counselor about genetic testing:

-Personal or family history of breast cancer occurring at age 50 and younger, male breast cancer, or breast cancer at any age with 3+ affected in the family

-Personal history of or a close relative diagnosed with ovarian cancer

-A family member with a mutation in a gene linked to hereditary cancer

-Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, along with having a history of breast or pancreatic cancer

2. Don’t let cost or insurance coverage deter you from considering genetic testing: Compared to a decade ago, genetic testing has become much more affordable and more likely to be covered by insurance. Additionally, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), was passed in 2008. This federal law covers most Americans and prohibits the use of an individual’s genetic information to set the eligibility and premium.

3. When meeting with a genetic counselor to discuss genetic testing, you will be asked about your family health history, discuss hereditary cancer and genetic testing options, address the possible results that the testing can return, and decide if genetic testing is right for you. If appropriate, genetic testing involves a quick blood draw that is sent off to a laboratory.

4. In general, it’s best to start by ordering genetic testing on someone in the family that has had cancer, as their results can be more informative for the family as a whole. If anyone in the family carries a hereditary cancer mutation, it would be most likely found in an individual with cancer.

5. Genetic testing results can change cancer screening recommendations. Additionally, results could alter medical plans for treating breast cancer and offer significant information to help other members in the family manage and make decisions about their health.

To learn more about breast cancer, donate to the research and technologies being improved to combat the disease, or to find ways to volunteer, below are a few organizations to check out!

https://www.cancer.gov/ - National Cancer Institute https://www.brightpink.org/​ - Bright Pink

https://ww5.komen.org/ - Susan G. Komen Organization

https://www.cancer.org/ - American Cancer Society

http://www.facingourrisk.org/index.php - FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered)

https://www.palmettohealth.org/locations-directions/specialty-centers/breast-center - Palmetto Health Breast Center

And, if you missed it this year, join us next year at the Walk for Life and Famously Hot Pink Half Marathon, 5K, and 10K!

http://events.palmettohealthfoundation.org/site/TR?fr_id=1120&pg=entry

Alena Faulkner is a genetic counseling graduate student at the University of South Carolina Genetic Counseling Program.​

If you are concerned about a personal or family history breast cancer, talk with your doctor about referral to a cancer genetic counselor. Find a genetic counselor at Palmetto Health USC Genetic Counseling or feel free to contact us at 803-545-5775 or genetics@uscmed.sc.edu. We look forward to serving you!