The National Cancer Institute suggests considering genetic testing if you have:
— two first-degree relatives (mother, daughter, or sister) diagnosed with breast cancer, one of whom was diagnosed at age 50 or younger;
— Three or more first-degree or second-degree (grandmother or aunt) relatives diagnosed with breast cancer regardless of their age at diagnosis;
— A combination of first- and second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer (one cancer type per person);
— A first-degree relative with cancer diagnosed in both breasts;
— A combination of two or more first- or second-degree relatives diagnosed with ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis;
— A first- or second-degree relative diagnosed with both breast and ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis; and breast cancer diagnosed in a male relative.
(For women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, who are more likely to carry a specific BRCA2 defect passed down from generation to generation, the NCI recommends genetic testing if you have:
a first-degree relative diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer; and
two second-degree relatives on the same side of the family diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.)
Take an online quiz to see if genetic testing may be right for you?
The tool was developed by Cecelia Bellcross at Emory University.
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