Cancer Genetics: Testing can lead to better treatment
When Sandy found out she had breast cancer last December, she was only 39.
"It did come as a shock to me," Sandy said. "It wasn't something that I was expecting at all."
And then came another shock. She found out that she could, through DNA, pass a cancer gene to her son. Both women and men can carry and pass the gene. A simple blood test would tell Sandy if she carried it.
"If you have the gene, you have an 85% risk of developing breast cancer sometime in your lifetime," says Dr. Janet Grange, general surgeon with Alegent Health Midlands Hospital.
If you carry the gene, your chances for developing ovarian cancer increase too. You can also take a blood test to look for colon and endometrial cancer genes.
Dr. Grange says that some of her patients are afraid to get their results, but knowing your genetic makeup can help doctors determine what kind of treatment you need.
"Genetics has the same impact on medicine that antibiotics had on the treatment of infectious disease," she adds.
When Sandy's test came back negative, she breathed a sigh of relief, for herself and for her son.
"When I got the results back, it was a tremendous relief," says Sandy. "The first thing I said was, oh my gosh, Eric doesn't have to worry about this."
And thanks to this test, Sandy doesn't have to worry about a higher risk of developing another kind of cancer.
Learn more about the Cancer Genetics Program at Alegent Health.
