Genetic Counseling

The Cancer Center at St. Agnes Hospital includes genetic counseling as part of its comprehensive list of services.

A genetic counselor educates families or individual's about their risk of passing on or inheriting a genetic predisposition for certain disorders. The goal of genetic counseling is to aid the individual's or family's understanding of the disorder, the risks of recurrence and the options for testing, treatment or management of the disorder.

In most cases, cancer is not related to strong inherited factors. However, a number of cancers are associated with familial syndromes that can increase an individual’s predisposition to develop cancer.

During the cancer risk assessment, patients will learn more about their cancer risks, potential risks to family members, screening options and genetic testing for hereditary cancer. Services include: comprehensive family history; review of medical history; review of possible inheritance patterns; and discussion of the benefits, risks and limitations of gene testing.

If genetic testing is requested, blood will be drawn and disclosure of the results will be done in person. Patients can expect to have two to three genetic counseling sessions.

For more information about genetic cancer risk assessment, call 410-368-2621.