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About Genetics

Based on the information you gave us, you do not have a personal or family history of cancers that increase chest cancer risk. Since you are planning surgery, genetic testing may be helpful in certain situations. Continue to learn more about what this means for your care.

When might I want genetic testing?

Some people have a personal or family history of breast, ovarian, pancreas, prostate, melanoma, or primary peritoneal cancer. Cancer risk can be passed down in families. People who have these cancers in their personal or family history may have a higher risk of chest cancer. They can also get cancer at younger ages than people without a family history.   

For people with a family history of cancer, doctors may recommend a type of test called a genetic test. This test looks at if you have an increased cancer risk that was passed down to you from your parents.

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Right now, you did not report a personal or family history of cancers that can increase chest cancer risk. However, that can change in the future. If your family history changes, be sure to tell your doctor. You can also come back to CHESTcare and take the survey at any time to get new information.

Even if you have no family history of cancer, a genetic test can help your medical team decide how much tissue to remove during top surgery. It can also help you understand which cancer screenings you will need in the future.

Reasons you might want a clinical-grade genetic test:   

• You just want to find out! Anyone can choose to learn more about their genetics and what it means for their health.
• You may have limited knowledge of your family health history or have a very small family. This might happen for several reasons. Examples include:
  • Adoption 
  • No longer having contact with your family
  • Having family members that do not share health information
  • Not being able to find or remember family health information
  • Uncertain diagnoses and deaths in the family
  • You do not have many female relatives who lived beyond age 45. This means they did not live long enough to know if they may have gotten breast cancer. It is difficult to estimate risk in this situation.
• National guidelines recommend testing in certain situations, even without a family history:
  • If you don’t know your family history or have a small family.
  • If you have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, even if no one in the family has had cancer. This is because Ashkenazi Jewish people are more likely to have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.

Your health insurance may not cover genetic testing. If you choose to buy your own test, talk with your doctor first. There are many types of genetic tests. Some give you more information than others. A genetics provider can help you understand which tests give information that is important for your health care.

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