The Role of Genetic Testing in Cancer Detection

This blog post contains mentions of foetal death. Please proceed with caution.

Facing cancer, whether personally or within your family, often brings with it many questions. One of the areas that has grown in importance over the past few years is genetic testing. This form of testing can provide valuable insights into your risk of developing certain cancers and can help guide both prevention and treatment. But knowledge, when handled with care and support, can be an important part of empowerment.

It Does Happen

I was inspired to write this blog post by a TikToker I’ve watched for a while, and often admired. His name is Sidney Raz, and he tests life hacks. He’s best known for his series ‘thing I didn’t know about until my 30s’, where he shares hacks and common knowledge tricks, testing them to see if they work. In April this year, Sidney revealed that his wife had suffered a miscarriage. Their child had died in utero, and they had decided to have genetic testing done to understand why she died.

The testing revealed she had died from holoprosencephaly – a birth defect where the brain doesn’t form properly. But this testing revealed something else. His daughter had a genetic deletion that can cause stomach cancer. Sidney scheduled an endoscopy as a precaution, and the results came back positive for stomach cancer. He has since had his stomach removed as part of the treatment, and is recovering well. But the doctors all said that, since he displayed no symptoms, they likely wouldn’t have caught his cancer for another three or four years, when it would have been at stage 3 and too late to do much. His case has made so many more people aware of genetic testing and just what it can reveal, which is why we wanted to share this with you today.

So What is Genetic Testing?

Genetic testing looks at specific changes, known as mutations, in your DNA. Some of these mutations can increase your risk of developing certain cancers. The most well-known examples are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which significantly raise the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer in carriers. Testing is usually done by taking a blood or saliva sample. While the process itself is pretty straightforward, the results can have a lasting impact.

Why it Matters

The main role of genetic testing is to identify potential risks to your health. With cancer, that means both prevention and early action. Knowing your genetic risk can help you:

• Take proactive steps, like earlier and more frequent screening

• Make informed decisions about lifestyle, treatment or even surgery

• Offer vital information to close family members who might also want to be tested

It’s important to remember that a positive test result doesn’t mean you’ll defiantly develop cancer. It only shows that your risk is higher than average. In the same way, a negative test doesn’t guarantee you’ll never get cancer – there’s no way to predict that at all. It’s all about giving you clearer knowledge.

Who Might be Offered it?

Not everyone needs or is recommended to have genetic testing done by the NHS. It’s generally offered to people who:

• Have a strong family history of certain cancers

• Were diagnosed with cancer at a younger age than normal, and their families

• Have relatives who have tested positive for genetic mutations linked to cancer

• Belong to groups where certain mutations are more common

If you think genetic testing might be relevant for you, your GP or cancer specialist can refer you for assessment. Or, you could pay for it to be done privately, if you prefer.

Before You’re Tested

Genetic testing isn’t just a medical decision. It’s an emotional one too. After all, finding out you carry a gene linked to a cancer risk can feel overwhelming. And learning that you don’t carry a mutation while others in your family do can bring feelings of grief, relief or mixed emotions. That’s why genetic counselling is offered, and often mandatory, alongside testing. Counsellors provide guidance before and after the results, helping you process the information and explore what it means for your health and your family.

For some people, genetic testing leads to life-changing decisions, as it did with Sidney. For others, it might just mean attending regular screening and living with more awareness. However you decide to move forward, it’s always a deeply personal choice. It should always be made with compassion, support, and access to the right information.

Genetic testing is not about living in fear of what might come. It’s about shining a light on the unknown and giving you and your family the tools to make informed choices. Cancer changes so much in our lives, but with knowledge and support, it’s possible to feel a little more in control of the path ahead. At Jill’s Fundraising Journey, we stand beside those exploring every part of their cancer story — from treatment to prevention, from uncertainty to hope. If you’re considering genetic testing, remember: you do not have to face the questions or the answers alone.