Is there a history of breast cancer in the family?
Usually having a family history of breast cancer will not greatly increase risk of breast cancer in other women of the family.
Many women wonder whether genetic testing will help them and their family to work out what their own risk of breast cancer is. There are two main genes known about (BRCA1 and BRCA2) where inheriting a faulty copy can cause a woman to have a high risk of breast cancer. These gene faults are uncommon even in families where there is a lot of breast cancer.
If you have a family history of breast cancer you may wish to discuss a referral to the Hereditary Cancer Clinic with your doctor. If referred to the clinic your personal risk of breast cancer will be assessed and advice will be provided on screening, whether genetic testing is useful and the things you can do to reduce your risk.
Further information can be found in the brochure Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer.
Is there a history of bowel cancer in the family?
A tendency to bowel polyps and bowel cancer may cluster in families. If you have a family history of bowel cancer, you may wish to discuss a referral to the Hereditary Cancer Clinic with your doctor. If referred to the clinic your personal risk of bowel cancer will be assessed and advice will be provided on screening, whether genetic testing is useful and the things you can do to reduce your risk.
Is there a history of other cancers in the family?
Having a family history of different types of cancer does not usually mean that you are at increased personal risk of cancer in general.
If you have a family history of many relatives with the same type of cancer or relatives who have had cancer at very young ages, discuss this with your doctor. Your doctor may give you a referral to the Hereditary Cancer Clinic.