If you’re looking for peace of mind, consider a hereditary cancer test. Determining your hereditary risk to developing prostate and colorectal cancer can be a difficult process to complete. Now, with the Test4 Test, you can find out if you are at genetic risk using a simple saliva sample.

This test can help you better understand your risk of developing prostate or colon cancer and help set your priorities for prevention. Our Consultant will review your family history with you and discuss which hereditary cancer tests are best for you.

Men, if you have a family history of any of these cancers: prostate, breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colorectal, uterine (endometrial), ovarian, urinary tract, stomach, or small bowel cancer; thyroid cancer; colorectal or uterine (endometrial) cancer; retinoblastoma or any other symptom related to Neurofibromatosis 1; sarcoma; brain tumors; adrenal cortex cancer; colorectal, stomach, pancreatic or gynecological cancer… then you may be at risk for developing more than one of these cancers.

That’s why we’re encouraging men who are at risk for multiple cancers to get tested as soon as possible. There are many different types of early detection tests available to help diagnose these diseases before they cause serious harm.

There are many types of cancer that can be hereditary, but not all types of cancer need to be present in the family in order to suspect that it is hereditary. Early onset or several instances of the same or genetically related cancers increase the likelihood that it is hereditary.

Your risk is increased and for which cancer(s) depends on which gene is varied, as well as your family history including age at diagnosis.

Men whose GeneMate® Prostate & Colon test is positive could have an increased lifetime risk for one or more of the following cancers:

Moderately to highly increased risk for prostate cancer (BRCA2 or MSH2)

Moderately to highly increased risk for colorectal cancer (Lynch genes, MUTYH, APC)

In some cases, risk may also be increased for other cancers including urinary tract cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic, and small bowel cancer

If you have a positive test result, try not to panic. There are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing cancer or to detect it early for better prognosis—it just depends on your family history and which gene is varied.

If you’re a healthy man who has an increased risk for prostate cancer because of a variant in BRCA2, you may be offered prostate screening in the form of PSA testing and palpation.

If you’re a healthy man with an increased risk of colorectal cancer because of a variant in BRCA2, you may be offered colonoscopy and/or endoscopy screening or surgical removal of the colon with the intent of preventing colon cancer.

You may also be offered additional screening for bladder and pancreatic cancer.