Do you need a referral for genetic counselling?

Some services accept direct enquiries, while others ask a primary care doctor, cancer specialist, or another clinician to send your relevant personal and family history.

A cancer genetics consultation reviews patterns of cancer and other relevant conditions in you and your biological relatives. The counsellor explains whether genetic testing might be informative, what different results could mean, and how information may affect care or relatives. Counselling supports an informed choice; attending an appointment does not commit you to having a genetic test.

Check whether the service requires a referral and what details it needs. If possible, note which relatives had cancer, the type of cancer, their age at diagnosis, and whether anyone has already had genetic testing. Bring your own pathology or treatment information if available. It is fine if family information is incomplete; tell the team what you know without guessing.

Genetic counselling is generally an appointment-based service and does not replace assessment of new symptoms or an acute illness. Seek urgent medical care for severe breathing difficulty, fainting, uncontrolled bleeding, sudden confusion, or severe rapidly worsening pain. If you have a new lump, unexplained bleeding, or another persistent change, arrange a clinical assessment rather than waiting for a genetics appointment.

Consider asking what information suggests counselling may be useful, whether testing is being discussed, and whose result would be most informative for the family. Ask what results can and cannot clarify, how privacy and family communication are handled, whether you need time to decide, and what follow-up is available after the consultation.