Does your family history put you at increased risk for certain kinds of cancer?

“We consider a number of factors including personal and family cancer history over generations, age of onset, patterns in cancer sites, and number of family members affected,” explains Jackie Allen, RN, APN, AOCN, coordinator of the Family Risk Assessment Program at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.

This is important information for anyone from a high-risk family who may need earlier or more frequent screenings than the general population.

“We can effectively reduce a person’s lifetime cancer risk,” Ms. Allen notes.

All types of cancer can be assessed through the Family Risk Assessment Program, but a majority of participants are women at risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Individual support groups are available to patients who choose to have surgery to reduce their risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, a partner of Fox Chase Cancer Center, offers genetic counseling and testing to individuals as appropriate with a family or personal history of cancer. For more information, please call 1-888-788-1260.