Learning more about what’s in your genes

The past decade is proving to be a new era in genetic testing. Much of it is accessible from your home, but that only tells part of the story.

The field of genetic counseling is also growing, as people want to know more about their cancer risk.

Mary Ann Orlang is all about risk assessment. She works as a genetic counselor at Lee Health. Each year, her job grows.

“When it first came out, we were only doing breast cancer genes, the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, and now we can test for so many more cancers that are known to have a hereditary component to it,” Orlang said.

New panels are being added all the time.

“We can look at hereditary breast, ovarian, hereditary thyroid cancer, colon, uterine, pancreatic is another big one. We didn’t use it to test for prostate cancer. Now, we have testing associated with prostate cancer,” Orlang said.

Testing positive for a gene doesn’t mean you will get cancer. It means you have a greater risk. Understanding results falls to the genetic counselor, who digs in like a detective.

“That’s the benefit of post-test counseling is we can explain to you and don’t just brush off a negative because, look, you’ve got a sister, a mother, and an aunt with breast cancer, so it could be something at work,” Olang said.

The test is simple: getting DNA through blood or saliva. People diagnosed with cancer might get one to see if they inherited a gene. If they did, it’s an opportunity to shake the family tree.

“It’s called cascade testing, so if we find out a family member has a genetic mutation, we offer testing to family members to find out what the risk, and if that family member tests positive, then it goes on to their descendants,” Orlang said.

Positive results tell doctors to keep a close watch. Some genes, like the BRCA, can increase the chance of getting cancer by up to 70%.

“There are diagnostic tests that we can do to stay ahead of any potential problems to diagnose them earlier,” Orlang said.

As more genes are linked to cancer, it’s giving more people the chance to stay ahead of disease.

Genetic testing is widely available now. If insurance doesn’t cover it, Lee Health says out-of-pocket is around $250. Even then, financial grants are available.