What happens at an appointment?
The first appointment takes 45mins to an hour. We will confirm your personal and family history of cancer and assess your level of risk and discuss ways to reduce this risk.
There is no obligation to have a genetic test.
If genetic testing would be useful, it can be organised, even if you have not had cancer. We will discuss the pros and cons so that you can make an informed choice.
We will also discuss the costs involved and we always bulk bill the genetic testing if Medicare funded testing is available for you.
Sometimes it may be better to test a blood relative first or to obtain information about a relative's cancer or their genetic test result. We can help with that as well.
During the appointment, the cause of cancer will be discussed. We will also review the role that certain genes play in protecting us from cancer and how cancer risk is increased in certain families.
We will also provide personalised advice on cancer screening and cancer risk reduction, regardless of whether genetic testing is performed. This may include starting screening earlier, changing the type of screening, using risk reducing medications or, in some cases, surgery.
At the end of the consult, we write to all the doctors involved in your care. You get a copy of this letter and a copy of your pedigree. That way, everyone has the same information and you can share it with your family.
If you decide to go ahead with genetic testing, that can usually be done on the same day
We always give our results in person (or via video TeleHealth) at a follow up consult. This is to make sure that there is no confusion over what the test has found (or not found!), what your residual cancer risk is and the implications for you and your family.
At this results appointment, the risk management advice will be fine tuned and any necessary referrals to other specialists organised