To schedule a genetic counseling appointment, please contact our Cancer Genetic Counseling office at 703-776-8758.
The Cancer Genetic Counseling program serves individuals who are concerned about their personal or their family's risk of developing cancer. We consult with patients and families with many different types of cancers, including breast, ovarian and colon cancer.
What is genetic counseling? To determine the risk of having hereditary cancer in one's family, an individual may wish to consider cancer genetic counseling. While the majority of adult cancers occur in individuals who are not genetically predisposed to developing malignancy, a small number of families carry a hereditary predisposition to cancer.
The genetic counseling program at Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center is a Master's level health professional who is trained both in cancer risk assessment as well as in the special counseling needs of patients who choose to undergo genetic counseling.
Cancer genetic counseling includes:
Who can benefit from cancer genetic counseling? Cancer genetic counseling is helpful for individuals with a personal and/or family history of:
What can I expect during a genetic counseling visit? An initial genetic counseling appointment generally lasts one to two hours. During this first visit, the genetic counselor will collect medical and family history information, provide cancer risk assessment, and discuss the option of genetic testing in full detail. Concerns regarding insurance discrimination, privacy of genetic testing results and cost of testing will be addressed.
Will my insurance company cover the cost of my genetic testing? Many insurance companies will cover all or part of the cost of genetic testing. As part of our service, the genetic counselor will work with the patient and insurance company to obtain benefit information and pre-authorization for testing. Coverage is generally based on an individual's specific plan and personal/family history of cancer.
Submitting the genetic testing bill to an insurance company provides minimal risk of insurance discrimination. Many states, including Virginia and Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia, have laws protecting individuals from insurance discrimination. Federal laws also exist. Currently there is no direct evidence that people are experiencing health insurance discrimination associated with cancer genetic testing.