How to talk to your family about your health history

Some of the most common cancers, such as breast, prostate, colon, and melanoma, have a hereditary component. That is, it can pass through a person’s genes, but many families make no effort to track their relatives’ cancer history.

This information is very important in assessing your own cancer risk. Genetic testing is much easier to use.. Sharing with a healthcare provider who has had cancer in your family will not only help you determine if genetic testing is suitable for you, but you also want to reduce your risk of cancer. You can also inform your family of lifestyle changes that you may think.

For some people, it may mean using sunscreen daily, but others may need to be screened for types of cancer that begin more often and at a younger age. .. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also How to act based on your family’s health history..

But genes are not the only risk of familial cancer, said Laura Cary, a senior researcher at the National Human Genome Institute within the National Institute of Health, today.

“It’s a shared biology. It’s also a shared environment, and those shared environments may reflect behavior,” she explained. “We learn from our parents and siblings and sometimes pass them on to our children. What we manage by understanding all of these various elements that make up a family’s health history as a risk assessment tool. And what we are not doing. “

Collecting a family cancer history is an “important first step,” she said.

Rachel Pearlman, a licensed genetic counselor at The Ohio State University School of Medicine’s Clinical Cancer Genetics Program, emphasized the importance of finding:

• The type of cancer the family has been diagnosed with.
• Family diagnosis age.
• Make a note of the above information if your family has multiple types of cancer and if it is not fatal.

She also emphasized that you should ask these questions Both Family side.

“Many people will have the assumption that the side of my dad’s family will not affect me, especially regarding your breast cancer risk, but we evaluate both sides. It’s really important to make sure you’re doing it, “she said today.

Learn whether Cancer has spread to other parts of the body It can also be useful. It is also important to be specific about the type.For example, some families may want to say that grandma has “female cancer,” which includes both cervical cancer and cervical cancer. Ovary“One is at genetic risk and the other is usually not,” Pearlman said.

As she called them, the biggest “danger signal” in the history of cancer in the family is the diagnosis of the following cancers, especially under the age of 50:

• chest.
• Ovary.
• colon.
• Uterus.
• pancreas.
• Advanced prostate cancer.

Amanda Ganzak, chief genetic counselor at the Yale School of Medicine’s Smillow Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program, said the signs of increased cancer risk she’s also looking for are: Said.

• The same cancer of multiple relatives on the same side of the family.
• Rare cancers like men with breast cancer.
• Ashkenazi Jewish background of certain ancestors.

Due to the amount of information we collect, Cary recommended starting with first-degree and second-degree relatives. That means:

• parents.
• Brothers and half-brothers.
• Children.
• Aunt and uncle.
• Grandparents.
• Grandchildren.
• Niece and nephew.

“Only one first-degree relative diagnosed with cancer increases the risk of cancer and puts us in a group that screens more often at an earlier age,” says Koehly. “If you have multiple first-degree relatives, that may be enough to get genetic services.”

She added that two second-degree relatives on the same side of your family are also showing increased risk.

In addition, Cary said an overall map of one-sided cancer diagnosis in the family can show whether it is a hereditary syndrome that increases the risk of multiple types of cancer, including: Lynch Syndrome, Exists in the family.

Some families may be easier to talk to and have easier access to more information than others. Here are some tips for navigating the dynamics of different families.

Find your “family historian”. Dr. Michael Hall, chair of the Clinical Genetics Division at the Foxchase Cancer Center at Temple Health, found that many families have one or two people who organize family health information on behalf of the entire family. There are people. He recommended starting with this person.

Ask beyond your immediate family. The more people in the family speak, the more likely it is to be able to create an accurate image of who was diagnosed and when, Hall said. It’s natural to assume that the information parents provide to you about extended families is accurate, but actually talking to those members may find even more useful information. He added that studies show that women tend to be more up-to-date with family health information than men.

Please explain why you need the information. According to Ganzak, families who are hesitant to talk about cancer may be more willing to open up if they explain that they want to give information to their doctors, which will benefit the whole family. .. “I’m not just looking for noisy things,” she added. “I’m asking because it affects the health decisions I and my healthcare providers are trying to make and allows us to plan properly.”

Approach people in a comfortable environment. If you want to reach out to certain people who are uncomfortable with the subject, Pearlman advised them to think about whether they are more comfortable talking one-on-one or in a group setting. .. In her experience, family reunions and holidays are the best time to start a conversation, but for some people it’s overwhelming and a phone call is better.

Try to organize the conversation around the memories of your family. In some cases, you may not remember when someone was diagnosed with cancer, but you may remember when you did something for your sick relatives, Cary said.

If everything else fails, look for death records and obituaries. Like some obituaries, death records include the cause of death, so if you’re having trouble finding information about a particular family, Pearlman is encouraged to search there. CDC Guide to keeping death and other important records..

Once this information is collected, the next step is to deliver it to your GP, Cary said. PCP can assess the appropriate next steps, from genetic testing and counseling to early, more frequent cancer screenings and lifestyle changes.