Most breast and ovarian cancers are not caused by inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. It raises the risk for breast, ovarian, and other cancers.

You may be interested in genetic testing and counseling for your family. MSK’s genetic counselors can work with you and your family to order genetic tests. These tests can help you understand who may have a gene mutation that puts them at a higher risk for cancer.

The tests may show your family member has a gene mutation. Our counselors may recommend steps they can take to lower their risk, such as getting cancer screenings more often.

Sometimes, genetic tests for people with hereditary breast cancer can show a mutation that raises their risk for ovarian cancer. Their family members also may carry a mutation that makes ovarian cancer more likely. Learn more about Hereditary Breast and Ovary Cancer syndrome (HBOC).

If you or a family member have a higher risk for ovarian cancer, our experts in gynecologic oncology can help. They can help you understand the warning signs of ovarian cancer. They can also recommend options to lower your risk for ovarian cancer.

Some cancer therapies can affect a person’s ability to have children or produce sperm. There are several options that can help you preserve fertility before treatment starts, or to start a family after treatment.

MSK’s Sexual Health & Fertility program helps women and men understand the steps they can take to preserve fertility. This can include egg or embryo freezing for women and sperm banking for men.

We also offer help to women and men who have sexual health issues related to cancer. It’s common to have less interest in sex or a lack of self-confidence.

Our Female Sexual Medicine and Women’s Health Program includes the services of a psychologist or sexual therapist and a general gynecologist.

Our Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program is led by a urologist with special training in sexual health. We help men who are dealing with sexual health challenges related to cancer, including erectile dysfunction (impotence).

MSK’s plastic and reconstructive surgeons offer a range of breast cancer reconstructive options. Our surgeons perform nearly 3,000 breast reconstruction procedures each year. This is among the highest in the country.

Our plastic and reconstructive surgeons will talk with you to understand your goals for surgery. Breast reconstruction can be done in several ways and is a personal choice. We have options for people who want plastic surgery, as well as options for those who don’t.

MSK’s surgeons will help you look and feel your best, based on what that means to you.

Hereditary breast cancer can develop at a young age. Our Hereditary Breast Cancer Treatment Program works with MSK’s Breast Cancer in Young Women Program to meet the special needs of young women with hereditary breast cancers.

The Breast Cancer in Young Women Program was made for women age 45 and younger. Specialists from both programs work with you to provide care, support, and education.

Breast cancer treatment includes help with diet and exercise. We created the MSK Healthy Living Program for this reason. The program starts with a questionnaire about your health, well-being, and lifestyle.

Your answers will help your team craft a personal plan, just for you. It will help guide you about what you should eat, and what exercises to do. It will tell you how to get support for your emotional well-being.

When your plan is ready, you will meet with one of our nurse navigators. They will talk with you about the plan and answer your questions. The nurse navigator will help make any appointments you need. They work directly with your cancer care team.

After a few months in the Healthy Living Program, you will fill out the same questionnaire. This helps us to understand how well the plan is serving you. It tell us if you have other needs we can help with.

You can visit MSK specialists closer to home, not just in Manhattan. We offer treatment at our regional locations in New Jersey, Westchester, and on Long Island. You can get the same outstanding care from MSK doctors at these sites:  

• Manhattan
• Brooklyn: Boerum Hill and Flatbush
• Long Island: Commack and Nassau
• New Jersey: Basking Ridge, Bergen, and Monmouth
• Westchester: West Harrison

If you’re coming into Manhattan for care, MSK offers a free shuttle for patients and caregivers among our locations. It travels between Memorial Hospital (1275 York Avenue) and several our Manhattan locations. Our social workers can talk with you about transportation resources if you visit our locations outside of Manhattan.

Telemedicine visits let you meet with your healthcare provider from home or wherever is most convenient for you. Many people say telemedicine visits are like being right in their doctor’s office.

Telemedicine uses video technology to connect you to your MSK care team. You can be in the comfort of your home while our healthcare providers to give you the care you need.

You can talk with them using your desktop computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. You will be able to see and hear them, and they will see and hear you. 

MSK offers telemedicine visits for many services, including doctor visits. This helps you get the care you need while saving travel time and money. Telemedicine is safe and secure, and meet strict standards.

If you’re interested in telemedicine appointments, your care team will work with you to schedule visits. They can also help you get ready for your telemedicine appointment, and invite others to your visit if you choose to.

MSK’s clinical pharmacists have special training in geriatric medicine. They can evaluate your medication and make sure you’re taking them according to your doctor’s instructions.

Our pharmacists will create a plan for you to take your medications. They will choose medications that do not get in the way of your cancer treatment and have fewer side effects. Their goal is to keep your quality of life.

Our specialists are experts in helping you manage side effects of breast cancer treatment. Our experts also use advanced tests to help us know whether you need chemotherapy.

We offer adjuvant therapies, which are treatments you have after your primary treatment, such as surgery. Adjuvant  (A-joo-vunt) therapies include chemotherapy and radiation. We offer scalp cooling to reduce hair loss during chemo. We can also help you manage nausea during chemo.

Controlling pain has always been a very important part of how we treat cancer. In fact, MSK was among the country’s first cancer center to have a service just for treating pain in people with cancer.

Your MSK care team has experts in managing the kind of pain that’s common during and after cancer treatment. We offer pain medications and other pain management methods that are matched to your pain level. Our goal is to keep you as comfortable as possible.

A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. We can help you cope.

Sometimes, you and your loved ones may just need someone to talk to. We offer individual and group counseling sessions, both in person and through telemedicine visits. Counseling is open to you and your family, separately or together.

We can help you face the emotional and social challenges of cancer and its treatments. You may be feeling stress, anxiety, depression, anger, or loneliness. Counseling sessions are a healthy way to learn how to cope with these emotions.  

You also may feel like no one else can understand what you’re going through. MSK’s online support groups give you a safe space to connect with other people who share this experience.

Our Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences can help whether you’re admitted to the hospital or getting care through office or clinic visits.  We can also refer you to other mental health specialists at MSK or closer to home. Psychiatrists are mental health doctors who can prescribe medication as needed.

Among cancer hospitals, MSK has a long history of only offering integrative medicine therapies based on the evidence of scientific research. These therapies are proven to be safe and reliable.

Integrative medicine therapies, also called complementary therapies, are therapies and treatments that go along with your cancer care.

Without the use of prescription drugs, they can help control the symptoms and side effects of treatments. That includes chronic pain, fatigue, insomnia, nerve problems, and nausea. 

You care team will meet with you and your family at an MSK location or through a telemedicine visit. You can ask about multivitamins, herbs, and dietary supplements.

The team will create an integrative medicine plan just for you, based on your personal needs. It can include acupuncture, acupressure, mind-body medicine, massage, or other services. We also offer online group fitness and or mind-body classes taught by certified coaches.

At MSK, we care about your overall health, not just your cancer diagnosis. Cancer treatment affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can also affect you financially. If you’re retired or on a fixed income, you may be worried about the costs of treatment.

MSK provides financial help in different ways, depending on your needs. Our financial assistance program provides confidential financial aid for patients in need. 

You may be eligible for our financial assistance program. If so, we may pay the balance of your MSK hospital and doctor bills, after you pay what you can afford. We can lower our hospital and doctor fees. Or, you may owe nothing if you cannot afford to pay.

Our insurance counselors can answer your questions about what is covered by insurance if you’re thinking about coming to MSK for care. If you have questions about your insurance coverage, please call our Patient Billing Services team at 646-497-9176.

You may be worried about being able to pay for your prescriptions. We can guide you about the cost of prescription medications and can help you apply for assistance programs offered by drug companies and foundations. These programs help people who are having trouble paying for their prescriptions. They often cover the cost of co-pays for medications.

Social workers at MSK can help you with your social and emotional needs during treatment. They also can help when you have trouble paying for basic needs, such as transportation and housing.

MSK connects people with hereditary breast cancer with social workers from our Cancer and Aging Social Work Program. They have special training in the needs of older adults. You can have an individual session, either just once or ongoing visits.

Our support groups and programs are held both in person and online. You can join them to meet people going through a similar experience, or to offer advice to others.

Our Patient and Caregiver Peer Support Program connects you and your caregivers with people who have been through a similar breast cancer diagnosis. We also offer support and other resources for caregivers.

Studies & Publications

• Zhang JQ, Dos Anjos CH, Sevilimedu V, Crown A, Amoroso KA, Pilewskie ML, Robson ME, Gemignani ML. Association of Moderate-Risk Breast Cancer Genes with Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy and Bilateral Disease. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Sep 3. doi: 10.1245/s10434-023-14141-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37661222.
• Lee MK, Robson ME. Contralateral breast cancer risk with radiation therapy in BRCA mutation carriers: what do we tell patients? J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023 Aug 21:djad129. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad129. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37603726.
• Myers SP, Tadros AB, Sevilimedu V, Nelson JA, Le T, Garcia P, Morrow M, Lee MK. Satisfaction and Well-Being After Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Among BRCA Mutation Carriers and Noncarriers: A Longitudinal Analysis of BREAST-Q Domains. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Aug 15. doi: 10.1245/s10434-023-14086-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37581851.
• Morra A, Schreurs MAC, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Augustinsson A, Beckmann MW, Behrens S, Bojesen SE, Bolla MK, Brauch H, Broeks A, Buys SS, Camp NJ, Castelao JE, Cessna MH, Chang-Claude J, Chung WK; NBCS Collaborators; Colonna SV, Couch FJ, Cox A, Cross SS, Czene K, Daly MB, Dennis J, Devilee P, Dörk T, Dunning AM, Dwek M, Easton DF, Eccles DM, Eriksson M, Evans DG, Fasching PA, Fehm TN, Figueroa JD, Flyger H, Gabrielson M, Gago-Dominguez M, García-Closas M, García-Sáenz JA, Genkinger J, Grassmann F, Gündert M, Hahnen E, Haiman CA, Hamann U, Harrington PA, Hartikainen JM, Hoppe R, Hopper JL, Houlston RS, Howell A; ABCTB Investigators; kConFab Investigators; Jakubowska A, Janni W, Jernström H, John EM, Johnson N, Jones ME, Kristensen VN, Kurian AW, Lambrechts D, Le Marchand L, Lindblom A, Lubiński J, Lux MP, Mannermaa A, Mavroudis D, Mulligan AM, Muranen TA, Nevanlinna H, Nevelsteen I, Neven P, Newman WG, Obi N, Offit K, Olshan AF, Park-Simon TW, Patel AV, Peterlongo P, Phillips KA, Plaseska-Karanfilska D, Polley EC, Presneau N, Pylkäs K, Rack B, Radice P, Rashid MU, Rhenius V, Robson M, Romero A, Saloustros E, Sawyer EJ, Schmutzler RK, Schuetze S, Scott C, Shah M, Smichkoska S, Southey MC, Tapper WJ, Teras LR, Tollenaar RAEM, Tomczyk K, Tomlinson I, Troester MA, Vachon CM, van Veen EM, Wang Q, Wendt C, Wildiers H, Winqvist R, Ziogas A, Hall P, Pharoah PDP, Adank MA, Hollestelle A, Schmidt MK, Hooning MJ. Association of the CHEK2 c.1100delC variant, radiotherapy, and systemic treatment with contralateral breast cancer risk and breast cancer-specific survival. Cancer Med. 2023 Aug;12(15):16142-16162. doi: 10.1002/cam4.6272. Epub 2023 Jul 3. PMID: 37401034; PMCID: PMC10469654.
• Hamilton JG, Shah IH, Salafia C, Schofield E, Garzon MG, Cadet K, Stadler ZK, Hay JL, Offit K, Robson ME. Development of a novel measure of advanced cancer patients’ perceived utility of secondary germline findings from tumor genomic profiling. PEC Innov. 2023 Jan 19;2:100124. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100124. PMID: 37214538; PMCID: PMC10194097.
• Senkus E, Delaloge S, Domchek SM, Conte P, Im SA, Xu B, Armstrong A, Masuda N, Fielding A, Robson M, Tung N. Olaparib efficacy in patients with germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: Subgroup analyses from the phase III OlympiAD trial. Int J Cancer. 2023 Aug 15;153(4):803-814. doi: 10.1002/ijc.34525. Epub 2023 Apr 6. PMID: 36971103.
• Robson ME, Im SA, Senkus E, Xu B, Domchek SM, Masuda N, Delaloge S, Tung N, Armstrong A, Dymond M, Fielding A, Allen A, Conte P. OlympiAD extended follow-up for overall survival and safety: Olaparib versus chemotherapy treatment of physician’s choice in patients with a germline BRCA mutation and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2023 May;184:39-47. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.01.031. Epub 2023 Feb 14. PMID: 36893711.
• Robson M. Testing for Inherited Susceptibility to Breast Cancer. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2023 Feb;37(1):17-31. doi: 10.1016/j.hoc.2022.08.003. PMID: 36435609.
• Liu YL, Maio A, Kemel Y, Salo-Mullen EE, Sheehan M, Tejada PR, Trottier M, Arnold AG, Fleischut MH, Latham A, Carlo MI, Murciano-Goroff YR, Walsh MF, Mandelker D, Mehta N, Bandlamudi C, Arora K, Zehir A, Berger MF, Solit DB, Aghajanian C, Diaz LA Jr, Robson ME, Brown CL, Offit K, Hamilton JG, Stadler ZK. Disparities in cancer genetics care by race/ethnicity among pan-cancer patients with pathogenic germline variants. Cancer. 2022 Nov 1;128(21):3870-3879. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34434. Epub 2022 Aug 30. PMID: 36041233; PMCID: PMC10335605.
• Corso G, Robson ME, Sacchini V. Points to Consider Regarding Risk-Reducing Mastectomy in High-, Moderate-, and Low-Penetrance Gene Carriers. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Sep;29(9):5821-5825. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-11913-6. Epub 2022 May 23. PMID: 35604619.
• Shubeck S, Sevilimedu V, Berger E, Robson M, Heerdt AS, Pilewskie ML. Comparison of Outcomes Between BRCA Pathogenic Variant Carriers Undergoing Breast-Conserving Surgery Versus Mastectomy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Aug;29(8):4706-4713. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-11756-1. Epub 2022 May 18. PMID: 35585432; PMCID: PMC10161354.
• Lowry KP, Geuzinge HA, Stout NK, Alagoz O, Hampton J, Kerlikowske K, de Koning HJ, Miglioretti DL, van Ravesteyn NT, Schechter C, Sprague BL, Tosteson ANA, Trentham-Dietz A, Weaver D, Yaffe MJ, Yeh JM, Couch FJ, Hu C, Kraft P, Polley EC, Mandelblatt JS, Kurian AW, Robson ME; Breast Working Group of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET), in collaboration with the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC), and the Cancer Risk Estimates Related to Susceptibility (CARRIERS) Consortium. Breast Cancer Screening Strategies for Women With ATM, CHEK2, and PALB2 Pathogenic Variants: A Comparative Modeling Analysis. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Apr 1;8(4):587-596. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6204. PMID: 35175286; PMCID: PMC8855312.
• Gallagher S, Hughes E, Kurian AW, Domchek SM, Garber J, Probst B, Morris B, Tshiaba P, Meek S, Rosenthal E, Roa B, Slavin TP, Wagner S, Weitzel J, Gutin A, Lanchbury JS, Robson M. Comprehensive Breast Cancer Risk Assessment for CHEK2 and ATM Pathogenic Variant Carriers Incorporating a Polygenic Risk Score and the Tyrer-Cuzick Model. JCO Precis Oncol. 2021 Jun 24;5:PO.20.00484. doi: 10.1200/PO.20.00484. PMID: 34322652; PMCID: PMC8238281.
• Modlin LA, Flynn J, Zhang Z, Cahlon O, Mueller B, Khan AJ, Gillespie EF, McCormick B, Stadler ZK, Robson ME, Powell SN, Braunstein LZ. Tolerability of Breast Radiotherapy Among Carriers of ATM Germline Variants. JCO Precis Oncol. 2021 Jan 19;5:PO.20.00334. doi: 10.1200/PO.20.00334. PMID: 34250389; PMCID: PMC8232182.
• Stadler ZK, Maio A, Chakravarty D, Kemel Y, Sheehan M, Salo-Mullen E, Tkachuk K, Fong CJ, Nguyen B, Erakky A, Cadoo K, Liu Y, Carlo MI, Latham A, Zhang H, Kundra R, Smith S, Galle J, Aghajanian C, Abu-Rustum N, Varghese A, O’Reilly EM, Morris M, Abida W, Walsh M, Drilon A, Jayakumaran G, Zehir A, Ladanyi M, Ceyhan-Birsoy O, Solit DB, Schultz N, Berger MF, Mandelker D, Diaz LA Jr, Offit K, Robson ME. Therapeutic Implications of Germline Testing in Patients With Advanced Cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Aug 20;39(24):2698-2709. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.03661. Epub 2021 Jun 16. PMID: 34133209; PMCID: PMC8376329.

MSK’s Genetic Breast Cancer Treatment Program relies on a team approach. We’re honored to have an advisory committee of experts to help guide your care.

• Minna Lee, Breast Surgery
• Mark Robson, Breast Oncology
• Kara Long Roche, Gynecologic Oncology
• George Plitas, Breast Surgeon
• Hannah Yong Wen, Pathology
• Lior Z. Braunstein, Radiation Oncology
• Fresia Pareja, Translational Molecular Pathology
• Michelle Corridi, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Zsofia K. Stadler, Genetics