What are the benefits of genetic testing for cancer?

A positive test result provides the person an opportunity to understand and, in some cases, manage their cancer risks. For people who are already diagnosed with a cancer, results of genetic testing may help them make decisions about their treatment and understand their risk for other cancers.

Why is genetic testing important for breast cancer?

Finding out you have a genetic mutation means you can help prevent breast cancer or find it early, when your chances for successful treatment are highest. But your decision won’t just affect you. Your test results also could predict your family member’s cancer risks.

Is genetic testing good for breast cancer?

Genetic testing is available for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Most breast and ovarian cancer is not caused by inherited mutations, so genetic testing will not help most women with a family health history of breast and ovarian cancer.

At what age should BRCA testing be done?

Most experts advise against testing children under age 18 for abnormal BRCA and PALB2 genes because no safe, effective therapies currently exist to help prevent breast cancer in children so young.

Does breast cancer skip a generation?

Inherited breast cancer genes cannot skip a generation. If a person has inherited a gene that causes breast cancer, they have a 50\% chance of passing it on to their children. If a person’s child does not inherit the mutated gene, the child cannot then pass it on to their future children.

Is it safe to do genetic testing?

Generally genetic tests have little physical risk. Blood and cheek swab tests have almost no risk. However, prenatal testing such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling has a small risk of pregnancy loss (miscarriage). Genetic testing can have emotional, social and financial risks as well.

Should we do genetic testing?

The obvious benefit of genetic testing is the chance to better understand of your risk for a certain disease. It can help ease uncertainty. Testing is not perfect, but it can often help you make decisions about your health.

Is genetic testing a good idea?

Genetic testing is useful in many areas of medicine and can change the medical care you or your family member receives. For example, genetic testing can provide a diagnosis for a genetic condition such as Fragile X or information about your risk to develop cancer.

Should I get genetic testing for cancer risk?

Many experts recommend that genetic testing for cancer risk be considered when someone has a personal or family history that suggests an inherited cancer risk condition, as long as the test results can be adequately interpreted (that is, they can clearly tell whether a specific genetic change is present or absent)…

Does screening for cancer lead to overdiagnosis?

Screening can lead to overdiagnosis—that is, the screening test correctly shows that a person has cancer, but the cancer is slow growing and would not have harmed that person in his or her lifetime.

Are there any screening tests that are not effective?

Screening tests that have not been shown to be effective may still be offered, especially to people who are known to be at increased risk of cancer. This test is sometimes used, along with ultrasound of the liver, to try to detect liver cancer early in people at high risk of the disease.

How effective are screening tests for cancer?

Several screening tests have been shown to detect cancer early and to reduce the chance of dying from that cancer. These tests are described on the Screening Tests page. But it is important to keep in mind that screening tests can have potential harms as well as benefits.