NewsNov | 13 | 2023
Thursday, November 23, 2023, is not only Thanksgiving Day but also National Family Health History Day!
Knowing your family health history can help you and your medical providers take steps that can lower your chances of developing a disease. Some families that have a history of cancer, for example, can benefit from early screening to diagnose cancer at a more treatable stage. Even though you can’t change your family health history, you may be able to benefit from changes in certain behaviors, such as smoking, not exercising or being active, and poor eating habits.
Genetic counselors are valuable resources to help review patterns in the family history and determine how the information may affect your health risks and medical decisions, such as genetic testing.
Our genetic counselors in the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment provide comprehensive care for patients and families that have a history of hereditary cancer. In addition to providing screening, prevention options and support for patients and families with hereditary cancer predisposition genes, our genetic counselors help to identify families that may have a hereditary cancer syndrome and provide genetic testing. Our certified and licensed genetic counselors are experienced in helping patients gather the information they need to make informed healthcare decisions.
We encourage you to take advantage of this time when your family is assembled and discuss family health history. Talking with your family about health problems and diseases may seem awkward at first but being in control of the information can help you take proactive steps to protect your health and share the information with relatives. Below are some questions to get you started.
It is important to recognize that medical and family histories can change over time, so it is a good idea to have these discussions about family health history every year.
More resources that can help:
In this podcast, Kristen Mahoney Shannon, MS, CGC discusses what people should know about their hereditary breast cancer risk, including how to know if it runs in your family and what to expect during genetic counseling.
Genetic testing for cancer risk assessment was first offered in 1996 for a limited number of genes. Cancer genetics has changed significantly since then. Stephanie Hicks, MS, CGC, discusses the role of genetic testing in the cancer setting and how it has evolved over time.
Contact the Mass General Cancer Center to make an appointment or learn more about our programs.
