Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk and Prevention
Our Services
If you or your doctor think that you are at high risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, the Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic can help you create a personalized program to estimate your risk as accurately as possible, and will work with you, your physicians and nurse practitioners to lower your risk as much as possible. This begins with a cancer risk evaluation, where you will meet with a genetic counselor and a breast oncologist. They will talk with you about your family's history of cancer and what this means. Other health care professionals such as surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and social workers are also available to talk with you and your family. One goal of this evaluation is to help you learn what steps you can take to lower your risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
What you can do
If you are at risk for developing breast or ovarian cancer, there are several ways for you to take control.
Cancer screening
Any plan for lowering cancer risk must include cancer screening, which can help find cancer early. The staff at the Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic can help you determine which types of cancer screening tests are best for you, and how often you should be screened.
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is available and can be an important part of finding genetic markers that could dramatically increase a person's risk of cancer. Learning whether or not you carry a genetic mutation may influence how, how often, and when you and your family might begin cancer screenings. Genetic testing is not appropriate or informative for all families. We will help you to navigate the genetic testing process if this powerful tool would be important for you.
Clinical research
The Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic offers individuals the opportunity to take part in clinical trials. These studies examine the best ways to prevent breast and/or ovarian cancers, as well as methods to help find these cancers early, when treatment is most effective. Other studies seek to understand the best ways to detect breast and ovarian cancers early, and whether any other factors can influence when a cancer might develop. Some studies involve only a brief questionnaire and blood sample.
