Our understanding of the genetic impact on cancer risk continues to evolve rapidly, and scientific advances in the field have led to significant changes in genetic screening for cancer risk in terms of what we test for, whom we test and how we test.
Genetic Testing
Too many cases of pancreatic cancer are not discovered until the disease has already spread.
All families have their traditions. In ours, we tend to have big families, with numerous siblings – and a lot of cancer. My father was diagnosed with cancer when he was 44 years old.
By studying similarities in high-risk individuals and tracing connections between their blood relatives, researchers are helping solve the mysteries of a disease that is usually diagnosed in the late stages, when it is harder to treat.
Because BRCA mutations are strongly linked to breast and ovarian cancer, they have been studied more widely in women than in men — and women are more likely than men to be referred by their doctors for genetic testing. But BRCA mutations are associated with many types of cancer, and men are also at risk.