Which specialist performs genetic counselling?

The specialist reviews your personal and family history, including cancers, ages at diagnosis, and relatives on both sides of the family. They discuss whether a pattern could suggest an inherited predisposition and explain the limits of genetic testing. Counselling can happen before testing, to support an informed choice, and after testing, to interpret a result and consider implications for relatives.

Bring any available details about relatives’ diagnoses, including the type of cancer and approximate age when it was found. Ask whether testing an affected relative would be more informative, what sample is needed, how results are recorded, and who will receive them. You can discuss emotional, family, and treatment-planning concerns before deciding whether to test.

Consider requesting counselling when cancer occurs at a younger age than expected, when several relatives have related cancers, when one person has more than one relevant cancer, or when a known inherited variant is present in the family. A genetics specialist can assess the pattern rather than relying on one family story or one diagnosis.

Ask what family information is useful, which test is being considered, what an uncertain result could mean, how results may affect relatives, and whether follow-up screening or specialist care would change.