Summary: If breast cancer or colon cancer runs in your family, you might consider genetic testing/counseling to determine if you have inherited a gene that increases your risk of developing the disease. Jessica Rispoli Joines, a genetic counselor at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, says that while some people might not want to know about their increased risk, others feel "empowered" - that they are better able to make informed decisions. Joines tells Karen Warmkessel that genetic counseling also can be helpful in situations such as high-risk pregnancies, when couples are concerned about inherited conditions such as cystic fibrosis or Down syndrome or in cases where children are being evaluated for certain metabolic disorders and developmental delays. In still other instances, families might be worried about inherited conditions such as Huntington's Disease.
