Answers to Common Breast Cancer and Genetic Counseling Questions
Premier Health providers answer frequently asked questions about breast cancer and genetic counseling.
- Are there specific cancers associated with an increased risk of breast cancer?
- Does being diagnosed with ovarian cancer increase a patient’s risk of developing breast cancer?
- Does being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer increase a patient’s risk of developing breast cancer?
- Does having a male relative diagnosed with breast cancer increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer?
- Does it make a difference to your breast cancer risk if relatives on your father’s side had breast cancer versus relatives on your mother’s side?
- Does previously being diagnosed with breast cancer increase a patient’s risk of developing breast cancer again?
- How does having a close relative with triple negative breast cancer - versus a different type of breast cancer - affect a person’s risk for breast cancer?
- How does radiation therapy to the chest because of Hodgkin’s disease affect a patient’s risk for breast cancer?
- If close relatives have been diagnosed with other types of cancers, does this increase a person’s risk for breast cancer?
- If you have a close relative who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or younger, do you have a higher risk for breast cancer?
- If you have no family history of breast cancer or other cancers, are you at a lower risk for breast cancer?
- What are the risks of breast cancer for men?
- What defines close relatives for purposes of determining breast cancer risk?
- What is triple negative breast cancer?
- What screenings are recommended if someone has a high breast cancer risk due to family history?
- Why does age matter with a family member’s breast cancer diagnosis?
- Why does it make a difference in breast cancer risk if someone has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry?
Source: Faith Callif-Daley, MS, LGC, genetic counselor, Miami Valley Hospital North; Breastcancer.org; Komen.org, Cancer.gov, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention