{"id":38293,"date":"2025-09-29T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=38293"},"modified":"2025-09-29T15:58:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:58:57","slug":"should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Your genes are more than just biological blueprints \u2014 they\u2019re part of your story. They help shape who you are, from your height and hair color to the traits that make you uniquely you<\/em>. But did you know your genes also hold clues about your health, including your risk for cancer?<\/p>\n

Genetic testing \u2014 while not a crystal ball \u2014 can provide a window into that risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a lot of people, genetic testing can bring peace of mind,\u201d says Brynna Morales, MS, LCGC, a board-certified genetic counselor at MultiCare Cancer Institute<\/a>. \u201cThe results can help you make decisions about your health and understand if there\u2019s an increased cancer risk that you could pass on to future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out if cancer genetic testing might be right for you and what to expect from the process.<\/p>\n

Why does cancer happen?<\/h2>\n

Each cell in your body contains genes \u2014 a set of instructions that tell cells how to function, including how and when to divide. Cells divide as we grow and age to maintain healthy tissue.<\/p>\n

Sometimes when cells divide, changes happen to genes. These changes, called mutations, can cause cells to grow out of control, leading to cancer.<\/p>\n

Most cancer-causing mutations happen by chance, or through the natural aging process. Environmental and lifestyle factors, like tobacco use, can also increase the risk of these mutations.<\/p>\n

In some cases, people can inherit cancer-causing mutations. These are known as inherited cancer syndromes and can raise the risk of developing certain types of cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese mutations can be passed down from one generation to the next,\u201d says Morales. \u201cHereditary cancers consist of about 5-10 percent of all cancers that we know of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common types of hereditary cancers<\/h2>\n

Genetic testing can determine if you have an inherited cancer risk. There are more than 50 known types of inherited cancer syndromes. Here are the two most common.<\/p>\n

Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome<\/h3>\n

This cancer syndrome refers to people who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers.<\/p>\n

In general, women have about a 12 percent risk of breast cancer and a 1 percent risk of ovarian cancer in their lifetimes, explains Morales. For women with a BRCA mutation, that risk climbs to more than 50 percent for breast cancer and over 20 percent for ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n

Yet it\u2019s a common misconception that these gene mutations only affect women.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey actually increase the risk of male breast cancer and prostate cancer,\u201d Morales says. \u201cAnd for all people, BRCA1 and BRCA2 can up the risk of pancreatic cancer and melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynch syndrome<\/h3>\n

Caused by inherited mutations across several genes, Lynch syndrome is the most common inherited cancer syndrome, according to the American Cancer Society. It increases the risk of several types of cancer, including colon and endometrial cancers.<\/p>\n

Benefits of genetic testing for cancer<\/h2>\n

Discovering you have an inherited risk of cancer can be upsetting, so why would you want to pursue genetic testing?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know you have an inherited cancer risk, you can take action to prevent cancer from developing or catch it early when it may be more easily treated,\u201d Morales says.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you undergo genetic testing and test positive for an inherited cancer syndrome. Depending on the type and your particular situation, here are potential steps you could take to support your health:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Make proactive changes to your lifestyle, such as limiting alcohol consumption or eating a more nutritious diet, to lower your risk of cancer<\/li>\n
  • Increase surveillance by starting cancer screenings at a younger age or getting more frequent screenings<\/li>\n
  • Consider undergoing risk-reducing procedures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    If you\u2019ve already been diagnosed with cancer, learning about an inherited gene mutation can inform your course of treatment and strategies for preventing recurrence.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s also important to remember that if you undergo genetic testing, you may not be the only one to benefit.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFinding out you have an inherited cancer risk and sharing those results with family members may empower them to get tested \u2014 and take steps to better manage their risk,\u201d Morales says.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Your genes are more than just biological blueprints \u2014 they\u2019re part of your story. They help shape who you are, from your height and hair color to the traits that make you uniquely you. But did you know your genes also hold clues about your health, including your risk for cancer? Genetic testing \u2014 while […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,127],"tags":[165],"class_list":["post-38293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cancer","category-healthy-living","tag-breast-cancer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nShould you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Genetic_testing_photo-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1708\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meredith Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Meredith Bailey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d80971e5d1c5404ee17bb4be80bd913\"},\"headline\":\"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":687,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Breast Cancer\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cancer\",\"Healthy Living\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/\",\"name\":\"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\",\"name\":\"MultiCare Vitals\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MultiCare\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/MultiCare-Color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/MultiCare-Color.png\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":409,\"caption\":\"MultiCare\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/multicarehealthsystem\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/multicarehealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/multicare-health-system\\\/mycompany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/multicarehealth\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d80971e5d1c5404ee17bb4be80bd913\",\"name\":\"Meredith Bailey\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/author\\\/meredithbailey\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals","description":"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals","og_description":"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.","og_url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/","og_site_name":"MultiCare Vitals","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem","article_published_time":"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1708,"url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Genetic_testing_photo-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Meredith Bailey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/"},"author":{"name":"Meredith Bailey","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/person\/3d80971e5d1c5404ee17bb4be80bd913"},"headline":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer?","datePublished":"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/"},"wordCount":687,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization"},"keywords":["Breast Cancer"],"articleSection":["Cancer","Healthy Living"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/","name":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer? - MultiCare Vitals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-29T07:00:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-29T15:58:57+00:00","description":"Your genes hold clues about your health. Find out how genetic testing can reveal your inherited cancer risk and guide decision-making for you and your family.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-consider-genetic-testing-for-cancer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Should you consider genetic testing for cancer?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#website","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/","name":"MultiCare Vitals","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization","name":"MultiCare","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/05\/MultiCare-Color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/05\/MultiCare-Color.png","width":1500,"height":409,"caption":"MultiCare"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/multicarehealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/multicare-health-system\/mycompany\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/multicarehealth"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/person\/3d80971e5d1c5404ee17bb4be80bd913","name":"Meredith Bailey","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/author\/meredithbailey\/"}]}},"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38293"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38299,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38293\/revisions\/38299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}