Genetic Testing Helps Detect Gene Mutations Early

Southeast Cancer Center implements new program

The general population has less than a 20 percent chance of developing breast cancer. However, for a person who tests positive for a gene mutation linked to breast cancer, the risk goes up to 87 percent. Would you want to know?

That�s the question area residents in Southeast Missouri have been asking since August 2017, when the Genetic Testing program began at Southeast Cancer Center.

�We started by testing patients that were already a part of the Cancer Center,� says Beth Altenthal, BSN, RN and Nurse Navigator at Southeast. �We spent the next few months honing in on the process, getting comfortable with the test procedures and making sure that we could reduce the amount of time it took to be tested.�

The process is a simple blood test that looks for specific mutations linked to cancer. Most patients are in and out in less than 45 minutes. But time is not the only thing being saved.

Actual lives are being saved and people with a family history of cancer are receiving �peace of mind,� Altenthal says.

People like Barb Bender, the infusion nurse manager at the Cancer Center. Bender has been working among patients with cancer for almost three years. While she has professional links to genetic testing, she is personally linked, as well.

�I have a very strong family history with cancer,� Bender says. �My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer late in life, but I also have two sisters that died from cancer before age 35. My father had colon cancer and my brother had melanoma. When the opportunity came to be tested for the gene mutation, I wanted to know.�

Bender followed the genetic testing procedures and spoke with Altenthal to determine eligibility for screening. Based on her family history, it was recommended she speak with a tele-genetic counselor. The counselor walked with Bender through the process, answering questions and guiding her through health care decisions.

At this time, Southeast Cancer Center is the only one in the Southeast Missouri region to offer genetic counseling.

�I have three daughters,� Bender says. �Knowing if I carry a gene mutation that is prone to breast cancer and could be passed to them is important to me.�

Bender is happy to report she is negative for the gene mutation, not only for breast cancer, but for colon cancer, as well.

Since January 2018, the Southeast Cancer Center has screened 921 people, and 156 of them have qualified for genetic testing. Of the 156 patients tested, 28 were found to have a positive test for gene mutation.

�This does not mean that those 28 people will develop cancer,� Altenthal says.

But it does mean they are more at-risk than their non-positive peers. A positive gene mutation qualifies them for more frequent testing, as well as testing for their children, siblings and other close family members. If breast cancer is ever detected, treatment can begin sooner, and patients have a higher rate of success.

If you have a strong family history of cancer and are interested in learning more about the genetic testing being done at Southeast Cancer Center, call (573) 519-4751.