The Ridley-Tree Cancer Center’s Genetic Counseling program offers hereditary cancer risk counseling to help patients and families with a history of cancer better understand and manage the risk for developing cancer through genetic risk assessment and genetic testing. Our Genetic Counselors translate complex genetic information into understandable recommendations for patients, physicians and families.
Although most cancer is not inherited, approximately 5 – 10% of people with cancer have a hereditary form or a predisposition to cancer. Hereditary cancers occur because of a change (mutation) in certain genes. Inheriting these genetic mutations can increase a person’s risk for certain types of cancer. These genetic changes can be passed down from generation to generation through the mother’s or father’s side of the family.
Many factors must be considered when discussing cancer risk, including personality, coping style, and family experience with cancer. Our goal is to provide confidential information, reassurance, and support to cancer patients and their families.
The Ridley-Tree Cancer Center offers comprehensive genetic counseling and testing services by a certified genetic counselor to patients and families at suspected risk for hereditary cancer. For more information, visit our website or call (805) 879-5653.
BRCA Genes and Breast Cancer
Genetic counselor Joyce Turner, MSC, CGC, provides an overview of BRCA genes and their relationship to breast and ovarian cancer. She explains how each of us inherits BRCA genes from our parents, the role of those genes and what happens if we inherit a gene mutation. She also talks about how genetic counseling and testing can give a woman information she can use to make decisions about her health.
These are just a few highlights from the Resource Library collection. Please click here to view our online catalog. For more information about the Resource Library and how to borrow materials, visit our website.
Pretty Is What Changes: Impossible Choices, the Breast Cancer Gene, and How I Defied My Destiny by 
Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer by 
Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions by 
Positive Results: Making the Best Decisions When You're at High Risk for Breast or Ovarian Cancer by 