Cancer Genetic Counseling

The Cancer Genetic Counseling Program is part of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center. The goal of the program is to provide personalized counseling regarding cancer risk, cancer genetics, genetic testing, early detection, improved cancer management and possible risk reduction.

To help you understand your personal or family history of cancer, the Cancer Genetic Counseling Program offers genetic counseling, cancer risk assessment and genetic testing.

Our genetic counselors and physicians will help you understand your family medical history and your personal risk of cancer. This information may be helpful when making decisions about strategies for cancer risk reduction. These strategies can include changes in surveillance (testing) compared to a general (regular risk) population, prophylactic surgeries, and other interventions.

Understanding Genetic Counseling & Testing for Hereditary Cancer

What is Hereditary Cancer?

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, one of the first questions is often: “Why did this happen?”

Most of the time, cancer is not inherited. It can happen due to a mix of factors like age, lifestyle, and environment.

But in approximately 10% of cases, cancer is hereditary — meaning it runs in families and is linked to changes, or mutations, in our genes.

Genes are like instruction books for how our bodies work. Some of them protect us from getting cancer. But when a person is born with a mutation — or a “spelling error” — in one of these protective genes, it may increase their risk for certain types of cancer.

Having a mutation doesn’t mean you will develop cancer — but it does mean you and possibly your family members may have a higher-than-average risk.

How Do I Know if Genetic Testing is Right for Me?

What is Genetic Testing?

Genetic testing looks for mutations in your genes that could increase your chance for developing cancer.
It’s a simple process — usually a blood or saliva sample — that gives us powerful information.

If we find a genetic mutation, it can help your care team:

Recommend the right screening at the right time

Offer risk-reducing options

Create a personalized treatment plan

Help your family understand their own likelihood to develop cancer

Sometimes, this kind of information can even save lives.

What Will My Results Show?

There are three main types of results from genetic testing:

Negative
This means no mutations were found. Most people get this result.

Positive
A positive result means a mutation was found. Your care team will explain what this means, and how it could affect your cancer risk, treatment options, and even your family.
You may be offered more frequent screenings, certain medications, or risk-reducing surgeries.

Variant of Unknown Significance (VUS)
This means we found a change in a gene, but we don’t yet know if it affects cancer risk.
This result does not change your care.

Common Questions

What happens during a genetic counseling appointment?

This will be an open discussion with a genetic counselor to do some information gathering talk about your personal history and your family history to perform a risk assessment.

The genetic counselor may also discuss prevention or early detection for your children, siblings, or other family members as your results may have indications for their health screening and management.

After this discussion, the genetic counselor will work with your care team to inform treatment and management, helping to guide future conversations you may have with your care team.

Typically, this appointment will be about 60 minutes depending on how big your family is and how many questions you may have about genetics and genetic testing.

Do I have to do genetic testing?

What is Genetic Testing?

If we find a genetic mutation, it can help your care team:

Recommend the right screening at the right time

Offer risk-reducing options

Create a personalized treatment plan

Help your family understand their own likelihood to develop cancer

Sometimes, this kind of information can even save lives.

What if I already had genetic testing?

There are three main types of results from genetic testing:

Negative
This means no mutations were found. Most people get this result.

Positive
A positive result means a mutation was found. Your care team will explain what this means, and how it could affect your cancer risk, treatment options, and even your family.
You may be offered more frequent screenings, certain medications, or risk-reducing surgeries.

Variant of Unknown Significance (VUS)
This means we found a change in a gene, but we don’t yet know if it affects cancer risk.
This result does not change your care.

Will my results be private?

Yes. There are strong federal laws — like HIPAA and GINA — that protect your health and genetic information.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) is a federal law that protects people from genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment. Genetic discrimination is the misuse of genetic information.

Read more about GINA: https://ginahelp.org/

How does this affect my family?

Any other questions I may have?

Why Genetic Testing Matters

Genetic testing is a powerful tool. It helps your medical team give you the right care at the right time and gives you and your family information that can guide important health decisions. Talk to your provider about whether a genetics referral is right for you.