What Is Genetic Counseling?

• Genetic counseling is a service that helps patients understand and manage personal and family risks of hereditary genetic conditions (e.g., cancer risk passed down by generations in a family).
• A genetic counselor will ask questions about your personal and family history to create a family tree, or pedigree, to discuss potential impacts of a genetic testing result.
• A genetic counselor will recommend specific testing based on your provided health history.
• If you choose to pursue testing, a genetic counselor will order and interpret genetic test results.
• A cancer genetic test looks to identify hereditary cancer risk, which accounts for 5 to 10% of cancer cases. Sporadic cancers account for 80 to 90% of cases, and 10 to 20% of cancer cases are classified as familial.

Who Should Consider Testing?

Common cancers that can have a hereditary predisposition include breast, colon, uterine, kidney, prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancers. Genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk looks at personal cancer history and the cancer history of these relatives:

• First-degree relatives – parents, siblings, children
• Second-degree relatives – aunts, uncles, grandparents
• Third-degree relatives – cousins, great aunts/uncles

When to Speak with a Genetic Counselor

If you fit into one or more of these categories, you should speak with a genetic counselor:

• Personal or family history of pancreatic or ovarian cancer
• Personal or family history of male breast cancer
• Personal or family history of hereditary cancers diagnosed under age 50
• Three people on the same side of the family (including yourself) with the same type of cancer or related cancers
• Known pathogenic variant (BRCA1, BRCA2, Lynch syndrome-related genes, etc.) in the family
• Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry

You should get tested if:

• You are a woman older than 40.
• Your mother, grandmother or aunt had breast cancer.
• You have noticed a lump or another abnormality in your breast.
• You have had breast cancer in the past.

Dedicated Imaging Center

Our Imaging Center offers leading diagnostic services for breast health, including:

• Digital Mammography
• Breast Ultrasounds
• Stereotactic and Ultrasound Biopsy
• Breast MRI and MRI Biopsy 

High-Risk Breast Cancer Clinic

A specialty clinic to help you monitor risk factors and provide treatment if diagnosed. 

You should get tested if you are a woman who is 21 or older.

More Accurate Test Results

Our liquid-based Pap tests detect abnormalities more accurately than a traditional Pap test.

Robotic Imaging

We’re the first lab in South Carolina to use supplementary robotic imaging for more accurate results.

You should get tested if you are 45 or older.

Convenient Screening Options

There are two ways to get screened for colon cancer.

At-Home, Stool-Based Test

These tests allow you to check for cancer from the comfort of your home with a special kit prescribed by your doctor.

Colonoscopy

These advanced, accurate tests are performed in a doctor’s office to check for any abnormalities.

You should get tested if:

• You're a man who is 50 or older.
• You have a family history of prostate cancer.

External Prostate Scans

Our new MRI scan is all external, making the procedure much more comfortable for patients.

Safer, More Accurate Exams

Our upgraded SPECT/CT ProtaScint® scan eliminates guesswork and is safer for patients.