Welcome to the Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center
Our board-certified genetic counselors at the Inova Saville Center will guide you through your health risk assessment and offer you cancer prevention recommendations. Our collaborative approach gives us the tools to create a customized plan based on your risk level that incorporates screenings, education, prevention and overall wellness. We offer the latest technology for our screenings and procedures to make sure you are taken care of on every level.
Importance of Cancer Genetic Testing
Genetic testing is often more informative if it begins with a family member with a previous or current cancer diagnosis. Knowing your cancer risks allows you to create a plan that may help prevent cancer from occurring.
Even if you find you are genetically susceptible to developing cancer, it does not necessarily mean you will. Several factors influence whether a person with a genetic variant will actually develop cancer.
Inova's genetic counselors are experts in cancer risk assessment. They will help you navigate through complex medical information and discuss the practical or ethical implications of genetic testing and counseling. This includes:
- Comprehensive risk assessment
- Discussion of possible genetic testing options
- Review of recommended cancer screenings and prevention options
Do I Need Genetic Testing?
Genetic testing and counseling may be recommended if you have had certain cancers or patterns of cancer in your family.
If you have any of the following, you might consider genetic testing:
- Several first-degree relatives with cancer
- A family member with more than one type of cancer
- Family members who had cancer at a younger age than normal
- Family members with rare cancers, such as males with breast cancer
- Close relatives with cancers linked to rare hereditary cancer syndromes
- Many relatives on one side of your family who have had the same type of cancer
- Ethnicity, especially those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
- A physical abnormality linked to an inherited cancer (such as multiple colon polyps)