Cancer pre-disposition

• When a person is diagnosed with cancer, finding out if any other relatives have experienced cancer is an important consideration. The specific type of cancer, together with the family history, helps to work out whether or not a person may have an inherited genetic change that increases the chance of developing cancer.

• Finding out if you do have a genetic change that increases the chance of cancer may be important for your own medical cancer management, and so testing may be recommended for you by your oncologist or surgeon. It may also be important information for your close relatives (parents, sisters, brothers and your children).

• Discussion about cancer and family history can be distressing for some people. Our team of clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors are experts in supporting individuals and families through the process of genetic testing, sharing information with relatives and interpreting genetic test results. We work closely with your treating doctors (oncologists, surgeons, family doctors) in order to communicate our assessment and test results.

• If your referring doctor has indicated that there are medical reasons to obtain an urgent genetic test result for you, we will facilitate that.