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American Medicine

Genetic predisposition to disease is very important. About one-third of all cancers are due to genetic predisposition. Also, about 10% of all cancers may have been caused by an abnormal gene for which doctors today have genetic tests available. Consequently, making certain that you get tests for a gene mutation that can cause cancer when you have a high family risk is important for you and your family.

In a recent article, C. Bellcross and co-authors (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 2013, Volume 22, Page 728), evaluated over 2500 women.  6% of these women had a family history that indicated a high inherited risk of a genetic abnormality that would cause cancer.  Although 90% of these women had told their doctors about their family history of cancer, fewer than 20% of those women had been referred for genetic counseling. Worse yet,  only 8% of these women had their blood tested for the cancer producing mutant genes!

This recent finding has important implications for all patients.  Even though your family history may indicate that you are at a very high risk of certain cancers, it is very likely that your doctor has not taken the time to consider genetic testing, and probably has not given you the proper recommendations for prevention and screening.

So here are my tips:

• Make certain that you have completed a full family history for yourself and your children and siblings.
• Make sure that doctor has received your complete family history.
• Make certain your doctor has looked at your family history and answered your specific question, “With my family history of illness, what diseases am I at high risk for?”
• If your doctor cannot answer these, ask for a second opinion.
• Ask your doctor, “With my increased risk of these illnesses, should I have gene testing?”  If your doctor does not know the answer to this, ask for a second opinion and probably also a referral to a genetics counselor.
  

  What genes did you get from your parents?

For more information on prevention and gene testing, see my new book, “Surviving American Medicine.”