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Genetic testing - breast cancer

Laurenren
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I am 40yrs old and currently going through chemo for breast cancer, before I have mastectomy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. I'm having ups and downs emotionally, sometimes I'm really strong and other times I am freaking out. All to be expected I guess.

I keep hearing about people in my position getting genetic tests before chemo or throughout their journey but I haven't been offered it at all. Can anyone shed any light on this for me? I'm seeing consultant in a few wks and I'll definitely ask then but I'm keen to get testing if I can and I don't know why it hasn't been brought up.

Thanks all,

Sending love and positive vibes to you all xx

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    Hey

    I've just finished chemo (4 rounds of EC and 12 rounds of paclitaxel) for HER2+ breast cancer (and prior to chemo I had a mastectomy). I was diagnosed on the NHS and didn't "score" high enough to qualify for genetic testing. However I elected to be treated privately and so was able to request testing that route. Had it not been funded by my insurance I had been told about funding it privately and it wasn't as expensive as I was expecting (I believe tests can be around £300). 
     

    If you haven't already, it is worth speaking to either your consultant or CNS so see if you qualify and, if not, whether they can recommend a private provider.
     

    I really hope your treatment is going well x

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    I'm 56 and currently having chemo for triple negative bc. Because of these 2 and also family history I qualify for the screening through the breast clinic. 

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    Hi Laurenren,

    The paragraph below is quoted from Breast Cancer Care’s “Understanding your Pathology results” booklet.

    ‘Genetic testing is not suitable for everyone and will usually only be considered if your breast cancer is invasive, oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) and HER2 negative, with no more than 3 positive lymph nodes.’

    There are different types of testing too, so you may find it helpful to discuss this with your consultant. I am not a doctor, but as far as I know tests are usually carried out post-surgery on some of the tissue that is sent to pathology and, the results usually take a couple of weeks longer to come back than the pathology results.

    I hope that this helps.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Thank you so much for your help with this, that is EXACTLY what my cancer is so perhaps they are going to do that after my mastectomy. Wide awake at this odd time as a lot flying through my mind! I have meeting with consultant soon anyway so will definitely see what he says.

    Thanks again xx

  • Offline in reply to Lawsy

    Thank you so much for your reply. It's really helpful to hear of the path you had to go down and I'm definitely going to do a bit more research in to this!

    Really hope everything is going well for you xx

  • Offline in reply to Laurenren

     

    Hi Laurenren,

    It would be a good idea to draw up a list of questions before you see your consultant. This should ensure that you don't forget anything important.

    I hope that you get the answers you need. Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

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