SEATTLE — Up to 10% of cancers are hereditary, which means they can be passed from generation to generation through genetic mutations. Genetic counseling can help you figure out if a cancer in your family is hereditary and reduce the risk of that cancer affecting you or your relatives.
“Just like doctors have their specialties, so do genetic counselors,” said Marianne Vivien, genetic counselor at Overlake Cancer Center. “I happen to work in cancer, so anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer or has a family history of cancer could really benefit from genetic counseling.”
Genetic counseling can be beneficial if you have been diagnosed with cancer and want to know if it could affect blood relatives, like your siblings, children and grandchildren. It’s also helpful if several people in your family have had the same kind of cancer and you want to know if it could affect you or your relatives.
When meeting with a genetic counselor, they will ask you questions about your medical history and cancer in your family. While it’s important to learn as much as you can about your family history before meeting with a counselor, it’s ok if there is missing information.
“It allows us to better assess somebody’s risk, but ultimately, it’s not something that we absolutely need,” Vivien said. “We can still do genetic testing without that information.”
A genetic counselor will work with you to understand the pros and cons of genetic testing and help you decide if it’s right for you. If you pursue testing, a lab will analyze a small blood or saliva sample to look for genetic mutations that could increase the risk of certain cancers. Based on your results, providers could recommend additional and more frequent cancer screenings and beginning screening at a younger age.
“The whole point of all of this is to either catch cancer at an early, treatable stage or prevent it from happening altogether,” Vivien said.
The team at Overlake Cancer Center includes a board-certified genetic counselor who has special expertise in cancer genetics and a high-risk cancer surveillance nurse practitioner to help guide you through the process with compassion and care.
“We understand it can be a very scary process,” Vivien said. “Patients can be very anxious. We’re there to answer your questions, address any concerns, explain results to you in an easy way to understand all so that you can make whatever decisions for your own care.”
To get more information about genetic counseling, visit the Overlake Medical Center website.
Sponsored by Overlake Medical Center and Clinics.
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.