You are here: Home / General / Genetic Testing

Genetic Testing

If a cancer occurs frequently in your family, genetic testing may be an important step for you.

  • If a greater than average risk is found:
    • More frequent monitoring can help prevent cancer or detect it at an earlier, more treatable stage
    • Preventive strategies may reduce your risk of cancer by as much as 100%
  • Both positive and negative results give you information about inherited risk among your close relatives like parents, brothers and sisters, or children
  • Results guide decisions about medical management
  • Only genetic tests find mutations in genes known to increase risk for inherited cancer

Knowing about an inherited mutation —
Gives you power to take steps that may help reduce your risk for cancer, or detect it cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage.

Myriad and Myriadtests.com guide patients through each step of the testing process: deciding to test; finding and preparing to talk to a doctor; obtaining insurance coverage; receiving and understanding the results.

 

 

Your Step by Step Guide

If you are concerned about hereditary cancer, these steps will start you on your way to knowing your inherited cancer risk.

  1. Look for red flags in your personal and family history. Select a link below to take the appropriate quiz. Print your quiz result.
  2. Make an appointment with your doctor or Find a Healthcare Professional who offers cancer risk assessment and genetic testing. Prepare to talk with your doctor by gathering your family cancer history
    • Take your Family History and Red Flag quiz results to the doctor with you
  3. If you and your healthcare provider decide that genetic testing is appropriate for you, have a test done, a small amount of blood will be drawn and sent to Myriad Genetic Laboratories for analysis. An oral rinse process is also available for the BRACAnalysis® and COLARIS® tests as an alternative to a blood draw
  4. You will receive test results from your doctor about 2 weeks after testing.
  5. After you receive your results, you and your doctor can discuss your personalized cancer risk reduction steps. 

Look for Red Flags

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Syndrome BRACAnalysis®

Lynch Syndrome (colon and endometrial cancer) COLARIS®

Polyposis Syndromes (colon cancer) COLARIS AP®

Hereditary Melanoma and Pancreatic Cancer Syndrome MELARIS®

Discuss your results and how they affect your personal medical management with your doctor. Myriad has resources to help patients understand test results and find support information.