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Cancer Genetics Cancer Genetics Services
What Happens at a Cancer Risk Consultation? The Cancer Genetics Program, a joint program of UPMC Health System’s University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and Magee-Womens Hospital, offers genetic counseling to determine cancer risk and provides opportunities to learn about cancer screening and genetic testing. Medical geneticists and genetic counselors who are specially trained in cancer genetics and certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics help clients and their families understand how certain cancers may cluster in families and what genetic testing currently is available. Genetic counseling can help a person understand which cancer screening tests can detect cancer early and what prevention steps make sense for him or her.
What Happens at a Cancer Risk Consultation? At the initial visit, which generally takes 60 to 90 minutes, you will meet with a physician who is a medical geneticist and with a genetic counselor to completely review your family and medical histories. After identifying your primary concern, the following information will be discussed:
A few weeks after the consultation, program staff will mail to you a written summary of the information discussed at the session and a copy of your family tree.
Will I Need More Than One Visit? In most cases, one visit is sufficient to give you information about the role genetics plays in your family’s cancer and what your risk of cancer may be. However, we may find during your first visit that additional information about your relatives is needed before we can make a complete risk assessment. If you need a second visit, we recommend that you schedule it after you have gathered the additional information. In cases in which genetic testing seems reasonable, a follow-up visit will be scheduled after your complete risk assessment, to allow you sufficient time to decide whether you wish to proceed with testing. During the follow-up visit, the risks, benefits, and limitations of genetic testing will be discussed again and your informed consent obtained before any sample for testing is obtained. Genetic test results will be discussed only in person, at a later visit. After you receive a cancer risk consultation from the Cancer Genetics Program, you may want to consult other specialists to learn about preventive surgery or to seek counseling to help cope with the anxiety cancer risk may cause. Cancer Genetics Program clinicians work very closely with all cancer specialists -– including surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, gastroenterologists, nurses, ethicists, and psychologists -– to provide the most advanced information about cancer screening and to help people at high risk for cancer manage their risk.
May I Bring Someone With Me? We encourage you to bring a support person, such as your spouse or a significant other, with you. We welcome having one close family member present at your initial visit -– this visit concentrates on your family and medical histories, and someone familiar with these topics may help you recall details. However, if some issues in your medical history are unknown to your relatives and you would like to keep them private, you may want to come alone. In addition, the decision to have a genetic test for cancer predisposition is an extremely personal, highly confidential one that you may not wish to share with other members of your family.
For the First Visit, What Kind of Information Will I Need? A complete family tree is one of the most important pieces of information in a cancer risk consultation. A family tree allows us to determine if the cancer in your family is due to an inherited tendency and to determine your risk of cancer. When you make an appointment for a cancer risk consultation, you will be asked who in your family has had cancer and whether you would feel comfortable asking your relatives to have us review their medical records. Before your visit, we will fill out and send to you a Medical Records Release form. It includes instructions for each of your relatives about whom information is requested. During the first visit, we will ask you many questions about all your relatives, including those who have passed away, those who have had cancer, and those who have not. We would like information about three to four generations of family members, reaching as far back as great-grandparents and forward to include children and later generations. We will want to know who had cancer, how old he or she was when cancer was diagnosed, in which organ the cancer started, and if the relative is living or deceased. About relatives who have not had cancer, we will want to know if they are living, their current ages, their health conditions, and if they have had any surgeries. About relatives who did not have cancer and are deceased, we will want to know how old they were when they died, their causes of death, and if they had serious health problems during their lifetimes. We realize that many people may not have all the answers to these questions. It may be a good idea to talk to an older family member. Please know that, although this information is of great use to us in assessing your family history of cancer, we will see you for a consultation even if you have limited knowledge of your relatives and their health status.
How Do I Make an Appointment? To schedule an appointment, call 800-454-8156 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can call directly or have your physician call to make a referral. Messages can be left during evenings and on weekends.
Do I Need a Referral From My Doctor? You can refer yourself to the Cancer Genetics Program, or any health care provider can refer you. However, if you carry health insurance through a health maintenance organization (HMO) or a preferred provider plan and you intend to submit the bill for the consultation to your insurance plan for payment, you will need a referral from your primary care provider. If you do not intend to submit the bill for consultation to your insurance carrier, a referral is unnecessary; the Cancer Genetics Program will bill you directly.
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