FORCE Blog | Laws, Protections and Public Policy

Hereditary Cancer and Genetic Testing

Hereditary Cancer

Learn about gene changes called mutations, how inherited mutations can lead to cancer, what types of cancer may be hereditary and how parents can pass gene mutations to their children.

What is Genetic Testing?

Explore information about genetic testing for an inherited mutation, the benefits and limitations of genetic testing and the type of results you might receive.

How to Get Genetic Testing

Review expert guidelines regarding who should consider genetic testing, how to find a genetics expert and how to move forward with testing.

Hereditary Cancer Genes and Risk

Read about different genes that are linked to hereditary cancer and the risks associated with inherited mutations in these genes.

After Testing, Now What?

Learn how to make medical decisions and assemble your health care team once you receive your genetic test results.

Sharing with Family

Discover steps that will help you prepare to communicate your family medical history or genetic test results with relatives.

Risk Management and Treatment

Screening and Risk Reduction

Review national guidelines for cancer screening and prevention; this information is listed by gene mutation and by cancer type.

Cancer Treatment

Read about cancer treatment options listed by gene mutation, type of cancer and type of treatment.

Reconstruction or Going Flat

Understand options for having breast reconstruction or not after mastectomy.

Menopause

Learn about symptoms and options for managing early menopause caused by cancer treatment or preventive surgery.

Wellbeing and Survivorship

Discover how cancer treatment and prevention affects long-term health, quality of life and emotional well-being; explore options for addressing these issues.

Fertility and Family Planning

Understand the effects of cancer treatment and prevention on fertility and family planning, how pregnancy impacts hereditary cancer risk and options for assisted reproduction.

Research and Clinical Trials

Why Enroll in Research?

Learn why you should consider enrolling in a research study and your rights and protections as a research participant.

How to Find Studies

These tips and resources will help you locate clinical trials and studies enrolling people like you.

Search and Enroll

Ready to enroll? Our tools will help match you to hereditary cancer detection, prevention and treatment studies.

Help Shape Research

FORCE trains patients who are new to science to use their personal experiences to help guide hereditary cancer research.

Privacy, Policy and Legal Issues

Laws and Protections

Learn about key laws and legal protections that impact people with, or at increased risk of, hereditary cancer; and, how to file a grievance or complaint.

Public Policy Priorities

See what legislative and regulatory policy issues FORCE is actively engaged in, representing the unique needs of people and families affected by hereditary cancer.

Advocacy Archive

Read about the public policy initiatives that FORCE undertook in the past, ensuring that the voice of the hereditary cancer community was heard.

Advocacy Day

Advocacy Day brings the community together to educate Members of Congress about important issues faced by people with or at increased risk of hereditary cancers.

Support

Personalized Guidance

Get matched with a Peer Navigator volunteer who shares a similar experience as you for confidential 1:1 phone/email support and receive a free expert-reviewed resource guide.

Support Meetings and State Volunteers

Attend meetings or connect with volunteers in your state to obtain support, resources and information.

Message Boards

Our message boards are available 24/7 and are the easiest way to reach out to others who are facing hereditary cancer.

Private Facebook Group

In this group, you can connect with others who are affected by hereditary cancer. Let’s unite and support each other.

Helpline

Peer volunteers return calls within 48 hours and provide nonjudgmental support and resources in English and Spanish. A Genetic Counselor helpline is also available.

Find Healthcare Providers

Locate medical experts who are knowledgeable in cancer genetics.

Insurance and Paying for Care

Find information on insurance coverage and financial assistance for genetic services, risk management and cancer treatment.

Volunteer

FORCE has opportunities for people of our community to get involved in significant ways to raise awareness, provide support or help promote research of hereditary cancer.

Education

Behind the Headlines (XRAY)

Our XRAY program takes you behind the headlines to bring you reliable information about cancer research-related news and information.

Conference

Joining FORCEs Against Hereditary Cancer is a virtual conference designed to empower individuals and families facing hereditary cancer.

Webinars

Our live and on demand webinars feature presentations by experts on topics of interest and importance to our community.

Blog

Our blogs feature personal perspectives and deep dives into topics of interest to the hereditary cancer community.

Brochures

Order or download our educational materials.

Glossary

Find definitions for commonly used terms.

Sign Up for FORCE Newsletters
Our blog features educational information and personal perspectives relevant to the hereditary cancer community.

Education > Our Blog > Laws, Protections and Public Policy

Advanced Search

Subscribe

Books And Movies (18)

Breast Reconstruction And Going Flat (11)

Cancer Treatment (14)

Decision Making (4)

Diversity And Inclusion (18)

Emotional Health And Well Being (4)

FORCE And FORCE Impact (30)

Family Communication (3)

Fertility And Parenting (3)

Genetic Testing (23)

Health Equity And Disparities (14)

Health And Fitness (5)

Hereditary Cancer - General (14)

Inspirational (27)

Laws, Protections And Public Policy (27)

Men With Mutations (13)

Partnerships (7)

Quality Of Life (3)

Risk Management (9)

Supporting FORCE (5)

Volunteer Spotlight (61)

FORCE Supports Broader Access to Genetic Counseling

January 28, 2020

FORCE Supports Broader Access to Genetic Counseling

Posted in...: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Hereditary Cancer , Genetic Counseling , Genetic Testing

Most Recent

Chemotherapy Skin Care and Preventing Skin Infections

FORCE is Grateful for the Genetic Counselors Who Volunteer for Us

Education has Prepared Me to be a Better Advocate

Lynch Syndrome, an ATM Mutation and Issues of Gender Identity and Fertility Access

Volunteer Spotlight – Stephanie Heisser and Pam Hennen

Advocacy Spotlight: Increasing Our Focus on State Level Issues

June 15, 2022

Advocacy Spotlight: Increasing Our Focus on State Level Issues

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Partnerships
Tags: Cancer Advocacy , Patient Advocacy , Cancer Policy

Protections Against Genetic Discrimination vs. Pre-existing Conditions

October 09, 2020

Protections Against Genetic Discrimination vs. Pre-existing Conditions

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Affordable Care Act , Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

New Medicare Genetic Testing Policy: What Does It Mean to Me?

February 19, 2020

New Medicare Genetic Testing Policy: What Does It Mean to Me?

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Hereditary Cancer , Genetic Testing , Medicare , Multigenetesting , Tumorbiomarker

Protect Yourself, Your Friends and Family from Fraudulent Genetic Testing

July 11, 2019

Protect Yourself, Your Friends and Family from Fraudulent Genetic Testing

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Hereditary Cancer , Genetic Testing , BRCA1 , BRCA2

May 30, 2019

Alert: Cancer Genetic Testing Should Be Performed in the Health Care Setting

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Genetic Testing
Tags: Hereditary Cancer, Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing, BRCA1, BRCA2, Inherited Mutations, 23andme

February 22, 2019

FORCE and Other Groups Meet with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Hereditary Cancer Research, Screening And Prevention, PALB2, ATM

September 28, 2018

Addressing Previvors' Needs for Affordable Access to Care

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Cancer Prevention, Genetic Testing, BRCA2, Previvor, Cancer Early Detection

May 30, 2018

Where's FORCE? March and April

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , FORCE And FORCE Impact
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Breast Cancer, Hereditary Cancer Research, Ovarian Cancer, Genetic Testing, Survivor, HBOC, PALB2, Cancer Advocacy, Pancreatic Cancer, ATM

May 11, 2018

Battling BRCA: International Conference in Iceland on BRCA and Cancer

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Ovarian Cancer, Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing, BRCA2, Previvor, Ovarian Cancer Early Detection, HBOC, Icelandic Founder Mutation

April 16, 2018

Medicare Establishes National Coverage Policy for Next Generation Sequencing for Tumors

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Personalized Medicine, Next Generation Sequencing, Tumor Testing, Lynparza, Rubraca, Medicare, Companion Diagnostic

February 28, 2018

Five Year Ovarian Cancerversary

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: BRCA, Ovarian Cancer

October 12, 2017

Patients Weigh In On Review of PARP Inhibitors for Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Cancer Treatment
Tags: Ovarian Cancer, PARP Inhibitor, Patient Advocacy

September 19, 2017

Insurance Coverage for Clinical Trial Participation: Significant Barriers Remain

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Research
Tags: Clinical Trials, Medicare, Insurance, Insurance Coverage, Medicaid

May 11, 2017

Fueling Patient-Focused Health Care

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Genetic Testing, BRCA1, BRCA2, HBOC, Personalized Medicine, Health Policy, Patient Advocacy

April 23, 2017

Reflections on the March for Science

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , FORCE And FORCE Impact
Tags: Research, Insurance Coverage, March For Science, Science

January 26, 2017

Flawed Research and Reporting on the “Angelina Effect” Could Threaten Access to HBOC Care

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , XRAY
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Breast Cancer, Hereditary Cancer Research, Genetic Testing, Prophylactic Mastectomy, BRCA2, Previvor, HBOC, PALB2, CHEK2, ATM

March 16, 2013

Creating More Resources for High-Risk Women Undergoing Breast Cancer Screening

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Risk Management
Tags: BRCA, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Prophylactic Mastectomy, BRCA1, BRCA2, Prophylactic Surgery, Survivor, Young Survivor, Exercise, Screening And Prevention

February 11, 2013

Progress in Hereditary Cancer Treatment Research

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Research
Tags: BRCA, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, BRCA2, Young Survivor, HBOC

January 01, 2013

Happy New Year/Happy Birthday FORCE

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags:

August 06, 2012

Applying Personalized Medicine to Disease Screening and Prevention

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: BRCA, Genetics, Hereditary Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Hereditary Cancer Research, Ovarian Cancer, Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing, Prophylactic Mastectomy, BRCA1, BRCA2, Prophylactic Surgery, Survivor, Ovarian Cancer Early Detection, HBOC, Prostate Cancer, PSA, USPSTF, Early Detection, Personalized Medicine, Screening And Prevention

June 01, 2012

13 Facts that Men with Hereditary Cancer Risk Should Know

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Men With Mutations
Tags: BRCA, Genetics, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing, BRCA1, BRCA2, Previvor, Survivor, Prostate Cancer, USPSTF

February 22, 2012

Exclusive gene patent on BRCA: Adding burden to an already overburdened community

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Research
Tags: BRCA, Hereditary Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Hereditary Cancer Research, Ovarian Cancer, Genetic Testing, BRCA1, BRCA2, FDA, SACGHS, Previvor, Survivor, Gene Patenting

November 02, 2011

Advocating for Men: Responding to the USPSTF Recommendations against PSA

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Men With Mutations
Tags: BRCA, Cancer Prevention, Genetic Testing, BRCA1, BRCA2, Prostate Cancer, PSA, Cancer Advocacy, Men With Mutations, Advocacy

December 03, 2009

The community speaks out! Your thoughts on the USPSTF breast screening guideline changes.

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags: Screening And Prevention, Cancer Screening

November 10, 2009

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: the latest FORCE testimony to SACGHS and FDA feedback

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy
Tags:

July 17, 2009

FORCE and Health Care Community Letter in Support of the EARLY Act

Posted in: Laws, Protections And Public Policy , Research
Tags: