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James Mackay
108 Harley Street
What should a patient look for in a genetic counsellor?
It’s vital that the genetic counsellor has a solid understanding of cancer and current cancer treatments, explains Dr James Mackay, Consultant Clinical Genetic Oncologist at The London Breast Clinic. He outlines a number of things patients should look for in a genetic counsellor including someone who is happy to explain the genetic complexities in detail and who is up to date with all the relevant developments in this area.
Transcript
I think it's important that the doctor they are seeing has a proper understanding of cancer, current cancer treatments, and the consequences of current cancer treatments. And then, you want someone who's able to explain the genetic complexities in some detail, but in an understandable fashion. And lastly, you want someone who keeps up to date. Genetics is a very, very fast developing field. New tests are coming out regularly, and it's important that a genetic oncologist is completely up to date with the tests that are available.
That is why I'm so pleased to be working with Myriad Genetics laboratory, which, as I say, is the best inherited genetic testing laboratory in the world. They have now tested over 2,500,000 patients, so there's a wealth of experience from the laboratory side behind what I say to the patients.