In Good Health Blog

Genetic testing is done through a blood or saliva sample in the clinic. This sample identifies specific inherited changes (mutations) in a person’s chromosomes to help detect increased risk of certain cancers. Genetic mutations can have beneficial, harmful, or no effect on health.

We live in Wisconsin. We love our brats, cheese, Friday night fish fry’s, and Culver’s custard! But, did you know that 70 percent of us are either overweight or obese? It is well known that being overweight increases your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and heart disease.

There are many features that can be present in a family that would indicate a referral is needed for genetic services. The following is a general (partial) checklist of characteristics that may indicate an increased risk of familial cancer or a heritable cancer syndrome.

Sunscreens protect the skin. They play an important role in blocking the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation by the skin. UV radiation damages the skin and can lead to sunburns and skin cancer.

Written by: Lauren Villegas, PsyD, psychotherapist, Outpatient Behavioral Health Services

Often when we read or hear about skin cancer and sun exposure the term UV will be used. UV is short for ultraviolet radiation and it is given off by the sun, as well as tanning beds. The UV rays have three different wavelengths called UVA, UVB and UVC.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.  In 2015, there were an estimated 132,000 new cases of colon cancer and almost 50,000 people died from colon cancer in the United States.

Medical History

Filip Troicki, MD, MBA

When a healthcare provider looks at a family's medical history to determine whether the cancer in a family is hereditary, he or she starts by asking the following questions:

Doctor with female patient

Filip Troicki, MD, MBA

Female runner runs along Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois

To learn more, visit agnesian.com/cancer.