Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
General
Genetic counseling helps you to clarify
- whether the diseases that have occurred in your family have a hereditary cause.
- whether there is an increased likelihood of developing the disease yourself.
- whether genetic diagnostics can be carried out in your family and what options and consequences may arise from the results of the genetic diagnostics.
- whether and, if so, which early detection examinations or aftercare programs are suitable for you.
- whether there are risk-reducing measures with regard to the development of a disease.
- whether other family members have an increased risk of developing the disease.
- Whether a disease that has occurred in the family can be detected prenatally during pregnancy.
Possible questions for genetic counseling are, for example
- Hereditary cancers
- Other hereditary diseases in the family (e.g. cardiomyopathies, hearing loss, cystic fibrosis, connective tissue diseases, etc. ....)
- Childhood malformations, dysmorphia syndromes and developmental disorders
- Related marriages
- Repeated miscarriages
- Unfulfilled desire to have children
- Decision support before and after prenatal diagnostics and other examinations
- Questions about early detection examinations and risk-reducing measures.
Our laboratory examines a wide range of genetic issues (see our range of services).
If a genetic disease is suspected in a family (e.g. hereditary bowel cancer or familial breast and ovarian cancer), genetic diagnostics should not initially be carried out on a healthy relative if possible. It is advisable to start with a relative who shows the typical symptoms of the disease (so-called index person) , as index persons are more likely to identify a genetic alteration that is the cause of the genetic disease than healthy family members. For health insurance reasons, genetic testing may often only be carried out on one index person initially.
As soon as a disease-causing genetic alteration has been identified in an index person, a targeted diagnosis of this genetic alteration can be carried out in healthy relatives. Depending on the mode of inheritance of the specific genetic disease/ predisposition, this may also provide relief for healthy relatives if the familial genetic alteration is not detected in them.
Genetic counseling is an important part of patient care for hereditary diseases. Genetic counseling is available to all persons who are concerned that the diseases that have occurred in their family may be due to a hereditary predisposition. Sick and healthy family members can present themselves for genetic counseling.
Genetic counseling is a service provided by statutory health insurance companies and is usually also covered by private health insurance companies. For private patients, it may be advisable to obtain a declaration of assumption of costs from the health insurance company. If you require a cost estimate, please contact our colleagues in the billing department on +49 511 532-9220/ -9225.
If your physician has suspected that you have a genetic disease, your physician can also order genetic diagnostics directly from us (see also examination orders). This can be particularly useful if genetic findings are needed quickly, as this can have an impact on further treatment. According to the German Genetic Diagnostics Act (link: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gendg/ ), any physician can order a genetic test to clarify an existing disease or health disorder (so-called diagnostic genetic testing). If your physician orders the test, this will not be charged to your physician's practice budget.
Telephone consultation hours for registration:
Tuesday: 09:00 - 13:00
Thursday: 08:30 a.m. - 09:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
We recommend that you use our online contact form.
Please confirm your request via the link in the confirmation e-mail that you must receive after submitting the form.
This is the only way your request will reach us.
If you are looking for advice, please use our contact form to contact our registration department.
Please confirm your request via the link in the confirmation e-mail that you must receive after submitting the form.
This is the only way your request will reach us.
If you or your family already have a (conspicuous or inconspicuous) genetic test result, it is particularly important that you send us a copy of the test result before the consultation.
Only if we have these findings can we make more precise statements about the significance of these findings or the likelihood of symptoms or diseases recurring within the family. Similarly, targeted genetic tests on healthy relatives to rule out or prove the presence of a genetic change in the family are generally only possible if we have the relevant genetic findings.
If we only receive these findings after the consultation, a new appointment with us will usually be necessary.
We need all medical records and (genetic) findings that can contribute to clarifying the current questions. Findings from the person to be advised as well as from other affected relatives are helpful. We do not require any findings that are not related to the issue of the consultation.
- Legally insured persons: For genetic counseling in our outpatient clinic, we require a current referral form "Sample 6" with the medical question or diagnosis from all relatives participating in the consultation. If, for example, a family presents due to the suspicion of a genetic disease in a common child, we require referral forms from the affected child and from both parents.
- Privately insured persons: a declaration of assumption of costs from the health insurance company regarding the counseling or the planned genetic diagnostics may be useful. If you require a cost estimate, please contact our colleagues in the billing department on +49 511 532-9220/ -9225.
Especially for Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer (FBREK)
Integrated care is a new form of care in the healthcare sector. Patient care is improved through the networking of specialist disciplines (across sectors).
The MHH has concluded special agreements with various health insurance companies regarding different disease patterns in order to offer optimal care.
For example, the MHH has an integrated care contract with some health insurance companies for familial breast and ovarian cancer, in which one component also covers genetic counseling and, if necessary, genetic diagnostics.
Intensified early detection of breast cancer is carried out at the Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the MHH.
The program is recommended to all women who, according to certain criteria, have a significantly increased probability of developing breast cancer in the course of their lives. This can be, for example, the detection of a pathogenic (disease-causing) variant in a gene that is associated with familial breast cancer.
It is important that you bring the final report with you to your appointment at the Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the MHH, which we will send you after the genetic consultation. This report lists the individual screening recommendations.
The MHH has concluded an integrated care contract with some health insurance companies (see question "Integrated care"), which also includes the above-mentioned intensified early detection of breast cancer. Other health insurance companies may require an application to cover the costs of intensified breast cancer screening.
You can contact the Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the MHH on +49 511 532-3431 to register for intensified screening.
In general, the general screening recommendations apply to everyone in Germany (see e.g. www.kbv.de, keyword "Vorsorge-Checker").
The Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer Consortium is an association of university centers. We, the MHH, are a center of the German Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer Consortium.
The aim is to provide optimal care and support for those seeking advice on familial breast and/or ovarian cancer throughout Germany. To this end, a special care concept is offered by some health insurance companies.
On the consortium's website you will find, in addition to further information, the contact details of other German consortium centers.
- Registration for the Genetic Outpatient Clinic: Phone +49 511 532-6533, e-mail, contact form
- Registration Breast Center of the MHH: Phone +49 511 532-9563, Website Breast Center
- Registration forintensive early detection (Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, MHH): Tel. +49 511 532-3431
- BRCA Network: Website BRCA Network
- Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer Consortium: Website Consortium
Men can also be carriers of a pathogenic (disease-causing) variant in a gene that is associated with familial breast and ovarian cancer and develop breast cancer.
The probability of passing on the normal or the altered gene copy to the offspring is 50% (1:2), regardless of whether the transmitting person is affected by cancer themselves. A pathogenic variant can be inherited from both the father and the mother, i .e. men can also carry a pathogenic variant.
On the one hand, this can be relevant because these men may have an increased risk of cancer (e.g. breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer) compared to the basic risk of every man in the general population. On the other hand, a man who is a carrier of a pathogenic (disease-causing) variant in such a gene can pass this altered gene copy on to sons and daughters with a probability of 50%.
We therefore also offer genetic counseling for men from families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.