How do you qualify for gene testing ?
is first port of call your gp?
i have had 3 family members with Breast cancer all in the same line
You need to ask your GP. They’ll ask you about you family, how closely related they are to you and what experience they had of breast cancer before deciding if it’s desirable to have a test. There’s a broad spectrum of b/cs . Most aren’t caused by a genetic fault. My mum had b/c twice, two of her sisters had it, but my own b/c was not genetic. It’s something to think about very carefully but I believe genetic counselling is offered before any test. Hopefully your GP will set your mind at rest x
Hi,
If you haven’t had breast cancer then the first port of call is to your GP to discuss your family history. However, if you haven’t had cancer it is unlikely you will be referred to genetics unless your relatives were first degree relatives, e.g mother, sister etc. Trying to identify a mutation is like trying to find a spelling mistake in a dictionary, there a literally hundreds of mutations of the BRCA genes and they don’t know what they are looking for so all genes have to be tested which can be a lengthy process. It would be a good idea to plot your family history to include all relatives with all cancers, not just breast. Ovarian is another common cancer caused by a mutation, as is prostate in men. Less common is skin, pancreatic and bowel. In my own family history I found a pattern of certain cancers affecting people at a certain age. E.G breast at 40/41, ovarian at 50 and pancreatic and prostate between 60 and 70. I have a mutation of the BRCA 2 gene, it took 18 months for the test results.
Good luck x