Talk To Your Doctor: About Genetic Testing

11/17/21 • 37 min

The Cancer Pod: Integrative Medicine Talk

What is genetic testing and is it appropriate for you? How do you talk to your doctor about getting tested? Tina and Leah cover what you need to know in this episode of The Cancer Pod.

Hereditary cancers happen, but what are the chances? It is estimated that 10% of all cancers are due to genes we inherited from our parents. Yet, certain mutations can lead to personal risk of up to 80%. (We don't dwell on statistics, so no worries there.)

Knowing whether there is familial hereditary cancer syndrome can influence decision-making for the person with cancer and their family. In this podcast, we discuss who, why and how the testing for hereditary cancer syndromes should be approached. Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome, where the BRCA genes are involved, may be the most commonly known, but there are many others to look for including Lynch syndrome, Li Fraumeni syndrome, and Cowden syndrome.

We round out this episode with our unofficial theme song and a different kind of Moment of Woo.

Links we mentioned on this episode and other interesting stuff:

MD Anderson Genetic Testing Information

National Society of Genetic Counselors

Facing Our Risk - FORCE Facing Hereditary Cancer EMPOWERED

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association

BRCA gene mutations from NCI

Alive and Kickn: Lynch syndrome advocacy group

Cowden syndrome (PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome

Lost Women of Science website and podcast

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THANK YOU for listening!

What is genetic testing and is it appropriate for you? How do you talk to your doctor about getting tested? Tina and Leah cover what you need to know in this episode of The Cancer Pod.

We round out this episode with our unofficial theme song and a different kind of Moment of Woo.

Links we mentioned on this episode and other interesting stuff:

MD Anderson Genetic Testing Information

National Society of Genetic Counselors

Facing Our Risk - FORCE Facing Hereditary Cancer EMPOWERED

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association

BRCA gene mutations from NCI

Alive and Kickn: Lynch syndrome advocacy group

Cowden syndrome (PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome

Lost Women of Science website and podcast

Support the show

THANK YOU for listening!

Previous Episode

Talk To Your Doctor: At Your Appointment

Doctors' appointments can be overwhelming, especially after a cancer diagnosis. There are so many questions to ask even before walking into the office, and then once a treatment plan is presented there are even more questions.

On the latest episode of The Cancer Pod, Tina and Leah review some of the questions to bring up at an oncology appointment and offer some tips to help patients, both newly diagnosed and seasoned veterans, about what to bring to appointments. They even delve into the topic of what to do if you don't like your doctor or what happens if your doctor leaves you.
The Trapper Keeper is Back!

NCCN Guidelines for Patients
Cancer.net - Questions to Ask Your Health Team
American Cancer Society - Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Support the show

THANK YOU for listening!

Next Episode

Survivorship / Survivorsh!t: Fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue (CrF) is common, both during treatment for cancer and afterward. Studies show up to 30% of cancer survivors experience fatigue for years following diagnosis. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill not getting a good night’s sleep or overdoing it at the gym fatigue. CrF is its own entity. It’s not relieved by sleep or rest and can be distressing, even life-altering. In this episode, Tina and Leah review the official contributing factors to CrF, and a few causes that aren’t found on the official list. Understanding how the adrenal glands are involved in CrF is essential, and they explain how the adrenals help you maintain energy. As always, at The Cancer Pod, we talk specifics about what you can do to improve your day-to-day. Fatigue is not something you have to live with!
Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:
Unofficial Theme Song for Survivorship Pod - Florence and the MachineUnofficial Theme Song for Fatigue Episode - The Foo FightersNCCN Guidelines: Survivorship Fatigue (Provider)
NCCN Survivorship Care for Cancer-Related and Long-Term Effects (Patient)
Integrative Therapies for Cancer-Related Fatigue
Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius ) to Improve Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial
Aviva Romm Adaptogens: Ancient Medicine for 21st Century Stress

Association of Fiber, Vegetable, and Fruit Intake with Quality of Life and Fatigue in Colorectal Cancer Survivors
How Survivorship Went from Being an Outlier to Mainstream - from The Cancer History Project