Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Breast Cancer: Part 1

Cristina Nixon is a licensed certified genetic counselor with the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics Program at Main Line Health in Pennsylvania. In addition to counseling patients, she also assists with research, including, most recently, a study looking at multi-gene panels in BRCA1/BRCA2 positive families. Cristina also has completed the City of Hope’s intensive course in cancer risk assessment. This is part one of three-part podcast on genetics and breast cancer with Cristina. Listen to this podcast to hear her explain: the difference between a genetic abnormality and a genetic mutation what the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes do in the body and why having a mutation in one of them increases the risk of breast cancer other genes besides the BRCA genes that are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer other types of cancer that are linked to a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation Listen to part 2 of the series. Listen to part 3 of the series.