The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health is promoting a checklist to help patients and their physicians identify “red flags” in their family history that might warrant genetic testing.
Women may have a higher risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer if anyone in their family has had:
- Breast cancer before age 50.
- Ovarian cancer at any age.
- Bilateral or multiple primary cancers (breast or ovarian).
- Multiple family members with breast, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancer.
- Two or more close relatives with breast or ovarian cancer.
- Male breast cancer.
- Ashkenazi ancestry (with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer).
Women may have a higher risk of getting colorectal cancer if anyone in their family has had:
- Colorectal or endometrial cancer before age 50.
- Multiple or primary family history of colon, endometrial, ovarian, or gastric cancers.
- Multiple colorectal polyps or polyposis.
To talk to a genetic counselor about your risk, contact Mary Ahrens, M.S., C.G.C., of the Familial Cancer Clinic at the University of Minnesota at 612-625-2134 or mahrens2@fairview.org, or for more information, visit www.cancer.umn.edu/cancerinfo/fcc.html.
