Doctor On Call: Genetic Testing and Breast Cancer

It’s well known that daughters of women who have or have had breast cancer are at increased risk to develop the disease and should be regularly checked, but what about the daughters of sons of a person who has or has had the disease? That’s the question submitted for this segment of TriHealth’s Doctor on Call by Helen from Hamilton. Elise Bendik MS, LGC, a genetic counselor with the TriHealth Cancer Institute explains who should consider testing to determine risk, and that does include sons of breast cancer patients and survivors. She explains the role of genetic testing to determine increased hereditary risk for certain cancers and how having that knowledge can help doctors determine the need for increased screening and prevention, which can increase the chance of survival. She also talks about insurance coverage for genetic testing and the costs associated with it.

Doctor on Call is a segment in partnership with WCPO-TV featuring TriHealth physicians answering medical questions submitted by viewers to WCPO. You can submit a question here.