At UVA Health, you can tap the expertise of breast cancer genetic counseling. Our genetic counselors are specialists in their field and a valuable part of our breast cancer team. They are here to give you an in-depth consultation to discuss your family history of cancer.
This is important information to know not only for your own health, but for your children's health.
You get your eye and hair color from your parents. But you can also inherit cancer. We don't know what causes most cancers. But about 5-10% of all cancers are caused by genetic mutations that are inherited.
We can test you for these gene changes. Genetic testing for cancer genes is done through a blood test. It can give you and your healthcare providers valuable information, far beyond a DNA test you might take on your own.
Genetic counseling and testing can give you valuable, precise information for your life.
When you meet with a genetic counselor, we’ll draw family trees as we’re talking and ask detailed questions about personal and family medical histories. Our goal is to gather as much information as we can about the health history of your family.
We use this family history to map out your possible cancer risks and see which factors need to be analyzed in a personalized genetic test of your blood or other fluids.
Who Should Get Genetic Testing? You should consider getting genetic testing if you have:
Often, people learn about several cases of cancer in their family. They want to know what’s causing it and what it means for them. Others get to the point of having children or already have young children and worry about what a history of cancer in the family means for their risk.