When to do a genetic test?

Genetic testing has made huge progress in preventive medicine. These blood tests are very reliable and now patients have the possibility to know whether they are at a certain level of risk concerning illnesses like:

• Certain types of cancer
• Cardiac diseases
• High cholesterol predisposition
• Neurology – Epilepsy
• And more and more

If the results show a high risk for the patient, our physician will propose risk-reduction measures including:

• More frequent surveillance options
• Prophylactic surgery
• Treatment guidance
• Testing of first degree family members

But before doing any of these genetics tests, we advise our patients to have proper counseling with a physician and a geneticist to understand the consequences of such exams and its results. Are some patients ready to know that they have 85% risk to develop a breast cancer? Not all them.