GENETIC COUNSELLING
Assessment and education for families considering BRCA genetic testing
Tasman Health Care is pleased to provide a service offering information and assessment of eligibility for BRCA genetic testing. This service is for women who have been diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer and to those families with a known BRCA mutation. This service allows for quick and accessible genetic testing and provides support to families going through the testing process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes – You will need to be referred by your GP or specialist to Dr Andrew Hill at Tasman Health. Click here to download the referral form.
If you have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and have greater than a 10% chance of carrying a BRCA gene mutation, you are eligible for Medicare funded BRCA genetic testing. At Tasman Health Care, we support you through the process of investigating your eligibility and exploring the potential benefits, limitations and implications of genetic testing.
To determine eligibility, we use a scoring model that is based on the following information:
- Number of family members diagnosed with breast, ovarian, prostate or pancreatic cancer.
- Age of diagnosis
- Ancestry
- Pathology
If there is a known BRCA mutation in your family, family members (even those who have not been diagnosed with cancer) are eligible for testing to see if they carry the BRCA mutation that has already been identified in your family.
Allow 60 minutes for your initial assessment appointment. You will be seen by both an oncologist and an associate genetic counsellor. We will take a thorough family history so it’s important to know types of cancers in the family, age of cancer diagnoses, ancestry on both sides of the family and bring along any histopathology reports (grade of cancer and hormone status is important for us to know).
It is important to know that having the assessment appointment does not guarantee your eligibility for Medicare funded BRCA genetic testing. Our goal is to assess eligibility, provide education and support.
If you meet the criteria for Medicare funded BRCA testing you will have no out-of- pocket expense for the test itself; however there may be a $35 courier fee, which will cover the cost of sending your blood sample to the laboratory. There is also a cost involved for the consultation with our Genetic Counsellor.
We are also able to facilitate private (self-funded) genetic testing if you do not meet the criteria for Medicare funded BRCA testing. The cost for private testing has dropped considerably over the past 10 years and is now much more affordable (around $350). Genetic testing is conducted in an Australian NATA accredited laboratory. For further information, please contact our clinic for a detailed overview of the testing process and the costs involved.