Genetics Program

What is the Cancer Genetics Program?
A family history of cancer has long been known as a strong risk factor for the development of cancer. This has been confirmed by recent discoveries of genes that can significantly increase an individual's risk to develop cancer.

Individuals are often confused about their genetic risks. They want to know if they are at increased risk, what steps they can take to reduce those risks, and whether they are candidates for genetic testing.

The Cancer Genetics Program was created to answer these questions. We provide comprehensive cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling, personalized cancer screening recommendations and, if appropriate, genetic testing.

What is genetic counseling?
Genetic counselors are healthcare professionals with specialized graduate degrees and experience in the areas of medical genetics and counseling. Cancer genetic counseling involves a discussion of your personal and/or family history of cancer.

What is discussed during a genetic counseling appointment?
Your initial two-hour meeting with a genetic counselor will focus on any questions and concerns you have about your and your family's risk of cancer, what steps may be taken to reduce your risk of cancer and if any genetic testing may be appropriate to determine if you have a change in a cancer susceptibility gene.

To provide you with the most comprehensive information regarding your cancer risk assessment and available genetic testing, the genetic counselor will be asking about your personal and family history.

It is important to gather information about your family prior to the meeting so that during the consultation the genetic counselor can give you an accurate risk assessment based on your personal and family history. We will be asking you about your parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and if possible your parents' aunts and uncles. It is important to obtain information about both your maternal and paternal relatives. We will be asking:

• For living relatives: a) How old are they?
• For deceased relatives: a) How old were they when they died and the cause of death?
• For any relative with a cancer diagnosis: a) What is the type of cancer? b) What was their age at diagnosis? c) How are they related to you?

We realize it may be difficult to obtain all of this information; gather as much as you can. Please come to the meeting regardless of the detail of knowledge of your family history. The counselor can work with you and any information you have and you will still benefit from the meeting.

Does genetic counseling require genetic testing?
No. Genetic testing may not be useful for everyone receiving genetic counseling. The decision to pursue testing is a personal one and entirely up to you. During the session the risks, benefits and limitations of genetic testing will be discussed to help you make that decision. For individuals who wish to proceed with genetic testing a small blood sample will be required.

Who will benefit from the Cancer Genetics Program?
The Cancer Genetic Program is appropriate for men and women who are concerned about their risk to develop cancer, regardless of family history. The program is especially important for individuals with a personal and/or family history of:

• a cancer diagnosis at an early age, especially breast, ovarian, colon, or uterine diagnosed under age 50
• several relatives with cancer
• more than one cancer diagnosis
• a rare or unusual cancer diagnosis
• breast and/or ovarian cancer at any age and are of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry

To make an appointment, please contact us at:

Cancer Genetic Program	Cancer Genetic Program
Beth Israel Medical Center Phillips Ambulatory Care Center 10 Union Square East, Suite 4E New York, NY 10003 Tel: 212-844-6285 Fax: 212-844-8954	St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center 425 West 59th Street, Suite 7A New York, NY 10019 Tel: 212-523-7092 Fax: 212-523-7012

Genetic Discrimination
As more and more people see the value of genetic testing for cancer risk some people worry that their health insurance and/or employers might use the results of these tests to discriminate against them. Recognizing the value of genetic information to patients and doctors, governments both the federal and state levels have specific legal protections in place preventing genetic discrimination. For instance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other laws in many more states, protect people from various forms of health insurance and employment discrimination based on genetic information.

In March 2005, the US Senate unanimously passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005, a bill that makes genetic discrimination illegal. As of today, the House of Representatives is considering several similar bills but has not passed a bill yet.

In New York State, results of genetic tests are not to be given to anyone without expressed written consent of the patient, per N.Y. Civil Rights Law section 79-1(4)(d).

Over the last decade, there have been tens of thousands of people who have opted for genetic testing for cancer risk, and during the same period there have been no well-documented cases of discrimination based on either the taking or results of a genetic test.

For a listing of discrimination legislation regarding genetic information by state, visit the National Human Genome Research Institute website at www.genome.gov