The Cancer Genetics Program

Available Cancer Genetic Testing

Are you genetically at risk for certain types of cancers?  In some families, a change or mutation in the genetic material, or DNA, predisposes those who carry it to developing cancer. This gene can be passed down from parent to child.

One indicator that your family carries the genetic risk is multiple family members with cancer. These cancers generally occur at younger ages than are typically seen in the general population. Sometimes people in families at genetic risk develop more than one type of cancer.

Spectrum Health's Cancer Genetics Program helps you identify if you have inherited cancer risks. But more important, it helps you know what to do with this information.

Our program was the first cancer genetics program in the region and is the only one staffed by board-certified cancer genetics counselors with master's degrees in the specialty.  These counselors work individually with patient to develop a strategic approach to risk assessment, early detection, risk reduction and prevention and research opportunities.

Who would benefit from Cancer Genetic Testing?

If you are wondering if your personal or family history suggests an inherited susceptibility to cancer, you may benefit from a consultation in the Cancer Genetics Program.

Common Misconceptions about Cancer Genetic Counseling and Testing

We often hear many misconceptions about genetic counseling and genetic testing. Below are some common misconceptions that may act as barriers to individuals who could benefit from a genetics consultation.

• I have already had cancer; how would I benefit from genetic counseling? Isn't that something that you do before you get cancer?
  
  

  Individuals who have had cancer may have developed the cancer due to a genetic risk factor that made you more susceptible to developing the disease. Sometimes a cancer-predisposing change, or mutation, in the genetic material (called DNA) has been passed down through the family for generations. Sometimes that genetic mutation happens for the first time in the person with cancer, and may be passed on to future generations.
  
  Individuals with a high risk of cancer due to a genetic mutation may be at risk of developing more than one primary cancer, and may be at risk for other cancers besides the type that has already been diagnosed. Identifying individuals at high risk is important, as it may impact their screening and prevention recommendations. It is also important because it can help define cancer risks for other family members who may also benefit from increased screening or preventive measures.
  
  Genetic testing may help to better define cancer risks in the family. For those who carry the familial genetic risk factor for the development of cancer, increased screening may help to catch cancer early when treatment is most effective, and preventive measures may help to reduce the risk or prevent the cancer from developing at all.
        

• Everyone in my family gets cancer. It is not a matter of if I will get cancer, but when.
  
  

  Individuals who haven't had cancer - It is true: having a strong family history of cancer could impact your risk for developing the disease. However, if there is a genetic mutation in the family that is increasing the risk of cancer, it is possible that you did not inherit that mutation and that your cancer risks are similar to those of individuals in the general population. In addition, if you did not inherit the familial mutation, you cannot pass it down to your children.
  
  Even if you did inherit the familial mutation, developing cancer is not necessarily inevitable. Diet and lifestyle modification, preventive medicine (known as chemoprevention) or preventive surgery may help lower the risk of cancer, or possibly prevent cancer altogether. You may also benefit from beginning cancer screening at an earlier age, screening more frequently, or screening by other methods that are not recommended for someone at average risk. This way, even if you do develop cancer, it is more likely to be caught at an earlier stage, when the treatment is much more effective and the outcomes are much better.
  
  Sometimes the cancers in a family are caused by genetic factors that cannot be detected with current testing methods or by a mix of genetic and environmental factors. For this reason, a negative genetic test result does not always mean that there isn't an inherited risk in the family. Sometimes increased screening, preventive medicine or surgery may be considered even if genetic testing is not pursued or is uninformative (meaning that no genetic mutation was found).
         

• The breast cancer (and/or ovarian cancer) in my family is on my dad's side. It does not impact my risk.
  
  

  This is not true. It is now known that having a paternal family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer can have a significant impact on your risk. Having a mutation in one of the breast and ovarian cancer genes has a larger impact on cancer risks for women than for men. It is not uncommon for a man to carry a mutation in one of the breast and ovarian cancer genes and never develop cancer himself. However, he can pass this mutation on to his children, including his daughters. Both maternal and paternal family cancer histories are very important for determining your personal cancer risks.
   

• The cancer in my family only affects the men (or the cancer in my family only affects the women). I am not at risk.
  
  

  Genetic conditions that increase the risk of cancer typically impact cancer risks for both males and females who carry the genetic mutation. If the cancers in the family have only affected men (or only affected women), it is possible that this is due to chance alone. The genetic mutation causing the cancer in the family could be carried by and impact cancer risks for both men and women.

How Our Cancer Genetic Program Works

Before Your Cancer Genetic Consultation

Before the initial clinic visit, you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire with questions exploring your personal medical history, family cancer history, current care practices, and additional cancer risk factors. Without this information, we cannot provide an accurate risk assessment, and therefore this information is extremely important for your evaluation. In addition, it is often important for us to be able to review medical records on the individuals in the family who have had cancer. This allows us to confirm the exact type of cancer that was diagnosed (which is actually often very different from what is reported to us) and the age at diagnosis. Specific medical information often helps us to provide a more accurate risk assessment. We work with our patients to obtain family members' medical records as necessary.

During your Cancer Genetic Consultation

The consultation generally consists of a review of your personal and family cancer histories, basic cancer genetics education, a personalized cancer risk assessment, a discussion of the possible option of genetic testing, and personalized medical recommendations for early detection, risk reduction and prevention, lifestyle modification, and possible research opportunities.

Following Your Cancer Genetic Consultation

A summary letter is sent to you and your referring physician, outlining your personal and family cancer histories, an assessment of the likelihood of an inherited risk for cancer in the family, and guidelines for follow-up care. No information will be forwarded to other physicians without your written consent.

Request a Cancer Genetic Consultation

Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To request a consultation in the Cancer Genetics Program or to speak to a genetic counselor, please call the number below.

Scheduling: (616) 486-6217 
Referrals: (616) 486-6218 or (616) 486-6219
Fax: (616) 486-6110