What are the current NHS guidelines for referral to a family history clinic ?

Your GP should refer you to a specialist breast clinic or genetics clinic for assessment if you have any of the following:

• one first degree female relative diagnosed with breast cancer aged younger than 40 (a first degree relative is your parent, brother or sister, or your child)

• one first degree male relative diagnosed with breast cancer at any age

• one first degree relative with cancer in both breasts where the first cancer was diagnosed aged younger than 50

• two first degree relatives, or one first degree and one second degree relative, diagnosed with breast cancer at any age (second degree relatives are aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandparents, and grandchildren)

• one first degree or second degree relative diagnosed with breast cancer at any age and one first degree or second degree relative diagnosed with ovarian cancer at any age (one of these should be a first degree relative)

• three first degree or second degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer at any age

Your GP should also refer you if you have one first degree or second degree relative diagnosed with breast cancer when they were older than 40 years and one of the following:

• the cancer was in both breasts (bilateral)

• the cancer was in a man

• ovarian cancer

• Jewish ancestry

• sarcoma (cancer of the bone or soft tissue) in a relative younger than age 45 years

• a type of brain tumour called glioma or childhood adrenal cortical carcinomas

• complicated patterns of multiple cancers diagnosed at a young age

• two or more relatives with breast cancer on your father's side of the family

What if I don’t meet the NHS criteria?

The NHS only offers testing to healthy people with at least a 10% chance of testing positive. Read more about my story and how I tested positive despite not meeting the NHS criteria.

Can I get a test privately or online?

There are many excellent and reputable private clinics that offer testing. I would recommend choosing a clinic that is regulated by the government’s Care Quality Commission. The testing offered should be full-gene sequencing, you might see it called next-generation sequencing technology (NGS). This is the most accurate method. Some online DNA testing and family history companies use other methods such ‘genotyping’; this leads to more common false positive and negative results i.e. an incorrect result. They can be fun and quick to use but are not meant to guide medical decisions or healthcare.