Genetic testing is becoming increasingly important in cancer prevention. If your medical history shows that your family has a history of cancer, you may have the right to be concerned about your own he alth, and you will find yourself in a specialist prevention program under the care of one of the genetic clinics.
Cancer preventionis free of charge as part of specialized preventive programs. You don't pay forgenetic testsor any other tests. Knowing that you are at higher risk helps you fight cancer more effectively.
Cancer prevention: how does genetic counseling work
Everyone who comes to a genetic clinic at the first meeting determines with a doctor which family member should start looking for genetic mutations. If possible, a person who has already suffered from cancer is usually selected. Thanks to it, it is easier to find the gene that is the cause of unhappiness in a given family. When it is tagged, it is searched for among other members. Those who have it go to the so-called groups of maximum risk and are subjected to other specialized examinations. On the other hand, those in whom the "culprit gene" was not found, remain only under the supervision of the clinic (then the controls must report for specific tests within the prescribed time limits).
Cancer prevention: genetic testing
The preventive programs look for genes that may predispose you to the disease, because it has already been present in your family. For example, women are looking for the BRCA1 gene (which is responsible for the tendency to breast cancer); when the ancestors suffered from colorectal cancer - the CHEK2 gene. People who have colorectal cancer but do not have gut polyposis are looking for repair genes that can repair the defective DNA fragment. Stimulating these genes can h alt the progression of the disease.
Cancer prevention: when cancer risk is high
You do not have cancer, but specialist research has confirmed that the risk of developing the disease is very high? Doctors will offer you preventive measures and treatments. Sometimes they are very drastic - in the case of hereditary colorectal cancer, it may be a colectomy, i.e. prophylactic removal of the large intestine. It is performed when (apart from the defective gene) numerous polyps (there are hundreds of them) are detected in the intestine andit is only a matter of time before cancer develops. Due to the fact that during the operation a part of the small intestine can be made into a special reservoir, it is possible to maintain the natural route of defecation. In turn, carriers of the gene responsible for the occurrence of medullary thyroid cancer are offered to remove the thyroid gland. Even in childhood, because many years of observations have shown that 100 percent. Carriers of this gene later develop cancer. So early removal of the thyroid gland just saves lives. Prophylactic surgeries can now be offered to, for example, women at risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancer. The condition is the birth of already planned children.
Cancer prevention: genetic counseling
There are more than 20 genetic outpatient clinics in Poland. They operate at all oncology centers. Most genetic clinics test for hereditary cancer susceptibility free of charge. You can find addresses of genetic clinics at: http://www.genetyka.com/