Please Ask For Genetic Testing If You’ve Been Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer

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Three Important Reasons Every Woman with Ovarian Cancer Should Have Genetic Testing Done

Genetic testing can help a woman understand why she developed ovarian cancer in the first place
Genetic testing can inform a woman if she is at increased risk for a different type of cancer, too — for example, breast cancer or colon cancer
Genetic testing can give women valuable information to pass onto her family members about the risks they too could be carrying

It’s estimated that 80% of women with ovarian cancer do not get offered a genetic test. We think that needs to change, because these tests can open up a whole new range of treatment and inform women about he best treatment options for their specific cancer.

“All patients that have ovarian cancer meet criteria for genetic testing, 100%,” says Sheryl Walker, a cancer genetic counselor at Genome Medical in Dallas, Texas. “Unfortunately, only about 30% of patients with ovarian cancer ever actually proceed with genetic testing, which is a very unfortunate statistic.”

According to Walker, there are three main reasons that women with ovarian cancer should get genetic testing.

The first reason is that genetic testing can help women better understand why they developed ovarian cancer in the first place. While lifestyle and chance play into cancer diagnoses, inherited risk — which is evaluated during a genetic test — can play a huge role.

Secondly, if a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she may have a gene mutation that puts her at an increased risk for completely different types of cancer — for instance, breast or colon cancer. Genetic testing can provide women with this valuable information, too.

Finally, the third reason for genetic testing is that the information it reveals can be relayed to family members who may want to get tested to assess their own risk.

“Patients [who] come in and seek genetic counseling want to know, is there something that they could have passed on to their children, or other family members, like brothers or sisters, or aunts, uncles, cousins– other individuals in their family,” Walker explains. “Something that might be putting them at greater risk, that maybe they don’t know about.”

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Sheryl Walker, M.S. CGC, is a board-certified genetic counselor at Genome Medical, specializing in oncology genetic counseling and testing. Read More

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