Northside Hospital Now Offers Genetic Counseling for Cancer in Forsyth
At Northside Hospital, more newly diagnosed cancer cases are diagnosed and treated than at any other community hospital in Georgia. To better meet the needs of patients and hopefully prevent future cancer diagnoses, Northside has expanded its Hereditary Cancer Program to the Northside Hospital-Forsyth campus in Cumming. The Program offers genetic testing and counseling for patients, who may be at risk for genetically influenced cancers, including breast, ovarian and colorectal cancer.
Approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of cancers are inherited. Hereditary cancer is caused when a flawed (or non-working) gene is passed down from a parent. Genetic testing determines if an individual carries one of these genes and is at an increased risk of developing different types of cancer.
During a genetic consultation, Northside’s certified genetic counselor evaluates the patient’s family history to determine if genetic testing is appropriate. If testing is recommended, the counselor educates and guides the patient through the testing process. Information that results from genetic testing can help the patient and physician better formulate a plan to detect cancer early or prevent it entirely. It also helps the entire family. Siblings and children of a person, who has a positive genetic test result, have a 50 percent chance of also testing positive.
Northside recently was chosen to join the National Cancer Institute’s Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), one of only three hospitals in the southeast to receive this designation, which enables the hospital to offer expanded research opportunities and state-of-the-art cancer care, along with the personalized, compassionate care that is typically associated only with a community hospital.
For more information about genetic testing or Northside Hospital’s Hereditary Cancer Program, call 404-851-6284
Click here for more information on Cancer Genetics at Northside.
