The content below is provided by Myriad Genetics, a sponsor of H4TG’s A Calendar to Live By/Guide to Caring for Yourself.
As medical care becomes more personalized and tailored to each individual, women affected by breast cancer can also benefit from an individualized treatment plan by knowing if their cancer is hereditary.
While a variety of factors may contribute to the development of breast cancer, a hereditary cancer test such as Myriad Genetics’s MyRisk® test analyzes each woman’s DNA to potentially identify if her genes contributed to her cancer diagnosis. By knowing her hereditary cancer status, a woman affected by breast cancer can make a more informed treatment plan with her healthcare provider and inform other family members of the potential risk of developing cancer. Knowing your status can help both you and your family.
KNOWING YOUR OPTIONS
For women affected by hereditary breast cancer, there may be an increased risk of their breast cancer spreading elsewhere in the body or the development of a second cancer. Surgeons can use hereditary cancer status to determine which surgery may be most appropriate for a woman’s current cancer and to reduce the risk of future cancers. The American Society of Breast Surgeons recommends all women with a diagnosis of breast cancer receive hereditary cancer testing to help with this effort.
REDUCTION OF RISK FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS
The same hereditary cancer test that can help determine your treatment plan can also help family members without cancer take steps to help prevent breast cancer as well as other cancer types. The parents, siblings, daughters, sons, and cousins of someone with a hereditary cancer gene(s) may also have a risk of developing cancer at a younger age or multiple types of cancer. By understanding their risk today, they can take steps to help identify cancer earlier or even potentially prevent a cancer from developing. Even if you did not receive hereditary testing initially, you and your family members may still benefit from the testing after your treatment is finished.
For more information on understanding risk for you and your family members visit Myriad.com