Part of Vivien’s work as a genetic counselor includes talking to patients who have received a cancer diagnosis from their primary care physician, or those who received a referral to see if genetic testing would be beneficial.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I’m starting to see a lot younger people — women in their twenties — coming in and having that conservation,” said Vivien. “It doesn’t necessarily mean we’re doing testing right now or we’re starting screening right now, but we’re having a conversation so that we can determine when testing or when screening should start and what that might look like for them.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In addition to seeing younger women, Vivien has also been seeing patients who want to know their risks because they were adopted and have no information on their family history.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
During the counseling sessions, Viven conducts a thorough family history and medical history to decide if genetic testing is appropriate and to assist with developing a personalized management care plan moving forward. Red flags with genetics include individuals diagnosed at 50 years of age or younger and multiple generations having been affected by breast and other types of cancer, said Vivien.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Ideally, if we’re getting this information ahead of time, or even if somebody is already diagnosed with breast cancer, we’re able to make better decisions in terms of treatment, surgical decisions and then management moving forward,” said Vivien.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Vivien mentioned how genetic testing and breast cancer screenings are generally covered by health insurance if an individual meets specific criteria. If the criteria is not met and health insurance won’t cover, the majority of labs offer genetic testing for approximately $250, said Vivien. For those who are uninsured or underinsured, Vivien feels like breast cancer screenings can be moreso a barrier when compared to genetic testing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Testing can only get you so far. If you’re not going to follow through with the management then testing is a little bit pointless,” said Vivien.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
You can call them lemons, or you can call them limes<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t While Vivien believes that Breast Cancer Awareness Month shouldn’t be merely one month, she said a good way to “celebrate” the month is by learning how to conduct a self breast exam.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Know Your Lemons, a nonprofit organization focused on improving early detection of breast cancer through education, provides signs and symptoms of breast cancer, which include:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Nipple crust<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Dimples<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Red or feeling hot<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t New nipple fluid<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Skin sores<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Bumps<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Growing vein<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Sunken nipple<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t New shape or size<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Skin that has an orange peel texture<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hard lumps<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t While there’s never a bad time to conduct a self breast exam, Know Your Lemons suggests conducting the exam after one’s period, which is when the breast is the least tender and swollen.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
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