Family History Crucial In Determining Cancer Risks

Ellen Matloff, director of cancer genetic counseling at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, recently spoke at the Hadassah Women’s Chapter at Heritage Village. Her talk focused on the ten percent of people diagnosed with a cancer that is passed down through family lines, called germline mutations; who is most at risk for these cancers; the use of genetic counseling; and who should consider counseling. While people of Jewish ancestry have an increased risk factor for cancer that makes genetic counseling and testing that much more important, there is no ethnic group that is free of cancer risks, says Ms. Matloff.

Please click on the above light blue link for the full article and a list of risk factors that help determine whether a person is a candidate for genetic counseling.