Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011 - (Page 5)

e of Your DNA Secrets Five Reasons to Consider Genetic Counseling Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cancers have a hereditary component. Could genetic testing unlock keys to your future health? We know that the color of our eyes, skin and hair comes from our DNA, a series of genetic markers. But DNA also contains secrets to certain diseases we might develop. Today, genetic testing allows us to learn some of these secrets. With a disease such as cancer, genetic testing can be a weapon in Dawn Lee, Genetic Counselor the fight. When patients find out their probability of having cancer, they can take action to decrease their risk in other ways. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cancers have a hereditary component. If you have any of the following, genetic counseling could help you assess your risk: Multiple close relatives with cancer Early age of cancer diagnosis, younger than 50 Multiple primary tumors in the same person Presence of rare cancer or bilateral cancer (bilateral means occurring in both organs of an organ pair, such as breasts, kidneys or ovaries) Greater than 10 polyps with any cystology WHAT DOES GENETIC TESTING SHOW? Genetic testing can reveal mutations in your DNA. “Mutations are like a typo or a misspelling in the gene,” says Dawn Lee, genetic counselor for Florida Hospital. “Our bodies have many tumor-suppressing genes whose role is to fight o cancer. If there’s a typo, they can’t fight the cancer, so there’s an increased risk.” WHAT IS THE TESTING PROCESS LIKE? To guide patients through the process of genetic testing, the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute o ers genetic counseling. Counselors can discuss and coordinate testing, interpret results and share options to consider after results arrive. “The goal of genetic counseling is informed consent,” Lee says. Genetic counseling and testing may be covered by health insurance; consult your policy. Patients who have cancer or meet one of the indicators for cancer should make a request. A genetic counselor will gather a detailed family medical history. This includes siblings, parents, aunts, cousins, grandparents, children and grandchildren. For each relation, you will want to track any major health conditions, the age of onset for each condition, age of death and cause of death. For some hereditary cancers, a simple blood test or saliva sample is all that’s needed. Your blood and saliva contain your DNA and genes, and provide a “spell check” of your tumor-suppressing genes. Results are available within two to four weeks. 1 2 3 4 5 WHAT DO I DO WITH THE INFORMATION? If you have an increased risk based on the test results, your genetic counselor will educate you and your family about the disease and assess the risk of passing it on to children. While test results don’t include specific recommendations, you and your physician can use the information as a guide to make future medical decisions. Find out if genetic counseling and testing are right for you by calling (407) 303-BEST (2378) today. TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF GENETIC COUNSELING HEALTHY 00tips GET BACK TO THE BASICS Foods with less processing and fewer ingredients are generally the healthiest type to eat. FloridaHospital.com 5 http://www.FloridaHospital.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011

Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011
Divine Intervention
With heart attack symptoms, time is crucial
The operating room of the future is here
Understand what mystery pains mean
Calendar

Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011

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