Could genetic testing help you or your family?

When dealing with cancer, information can be the key to understanding individual risks, successful treatment and even prevention of developing cancer.

At Aurora Health Care, genetic counselors have made a difference in the lives of patients and their families by giving them the personal information they need about their own cancer risks through genetic counseling.

Six certified genetic counselors such as Jennifer Geurts work with patients after referrals from physicians to determine the risks patients may have for certain cancers. Patients may be referred to Jennifer for several reasons, including a parent or sibling being diagnosed with cancer, especially at a young age.

“To summarize the profession, we provide education, support and a hereditary cancer risk assessment,” Jennifer said.

During the assessment, a counselor will determine who in a family has had cancer, what kind of cancer they have had and when they were diagnosed. If the patient has family members with cancers such as breast or colon cancer, they may be able to under go genetic testing to assess their risks.

If there is no genetic testing available, such as in the case of pancreatic cancer, the patient may be eligible for screenings reserved for those at high risk of developing cancer.

While there are many myths about genetic counseling, such as the thought that insurance companies will not cover patients who have been screened for cancers, there are in fact laws protecting patients from genetic discrimination.

In fact, insurance providers are becoming more interested in genetic tests as a way of preventing cancer, Jennifer said.

“They're realizing that really it's about prevention and early detection,” she said.

Aurora's six genetic counselors work from 12 locations within the Aurora system, from Green Bay to Kenosha.

"Genetic counseling is about being pro-active,” Jennifer said. “We can't erase the family history, but we're not going to bury our heads in the sand and say it's out of our hands.”

By using the most advanced screening modalities and working with the cancer experts at Aurora Health Care, there are some cases where patients can prevent themselves from getting cancer altogether by using information and testing after receiving genetic counseling. Most insurance companies cover genetic counseling and genetic testing is determined on a case-by-case basis.

The main cancers that are currently being focused on include breast, colon, ovarian, uterine and pancreatic, because those have the most well known hereditary components, Jennifer said.

For more information on Aurora's genetic counselors and to determine if you might benefit from genetic counseling, please click here to take a quiz.