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After genetic counselling: what happens next | CION Cancer Clinics
After genetic counselling, you should leave with a written summary and a clear plan. That plan may cover screening for you, testing for relatives, and how you will be contacted if your result is ever reviewed. This page explains what follow-up usually includes, who to ask which question, and what to do if a relative is diagnosed later. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists review your family history with you and guide you to the right genetic counselling and testing.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What happens after genetic counselling?
- What does follow-up actually include?
- What happens in the weeks after your result?
- The follow-up words, in plain language
- Which question goes to which person?
- Four things people assume once the result is in
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about follow-up
The short answer
What happens after genetic counselling?
You should leave with a written summary and a plan. What that plan holds depends on your result. It usually covers screening for you, testing for relatives, and how you will be contacted if anything changes.
If a fault was found
Follow-up is mostly practical. You will be told which checks to have and who runs them. You will get a letter to share with blood relatives so they can be tested for the same fault. If you already have cancer, your oncologist will look at whether the result changes your treatment.
If nothing was found, or the result was uncertain
Follow-up is lighter, but it still matters. A negative result in the right person can close the question for the family. A result of uncertain meaning needs no action now, but it may be reviewed later as evidence grows. In both cases, your screening is still guided by your family history.
If the news was hard to hear
Feeling shocked, guilty or numb is common, even for people who expected the result. Parents often worry about what they have passed on. Ask your counsellor about support, and take your time before making any large decision. Very little in genetic follow-up needs to happen this week, and a plan made calmly is usually a better plan.
The result session is not the end of counselling. It is the start of the plan.Four kinds of follow-up
What does follow-up actually include?
Not every family needs all four. Your counsellor should tell you which apply to you.
A written summary
A letter setting out what was tested, what was found and what it means for you. Keep it safe, with a photo on your phone. Future doctors will want to see it, and so will your relatives' counsellors.
A screening plan
If your risk is raised, you may be advised to start checks earlier or have extra ones. The plan names which tests, and which specialist runs them.
It may involve
- Breast imaging from a younger age
- Bowel checks by colonoscopy
- A talk about preventive options
Testing for relatives
When a fault is found, close blood relatives can be tested for that exact fault. A family letter makes this easier, and the test for a known fault is usually simpler than the first one. It is still their choice whether to go ahead.
Staying in touch
Knowledge about genes changes. Ask how you will be contacted if your result is reclassified, and tell the clinic if you move or change your phone number.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat comes next
What happens in the weeks after your result?
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The result session
You hear the result, ideally in person or by video, with time for questions. Nobody expects you to take it all in at once.
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The written summary arrives
Read it at home when you are calmer. Mark anything that does not match what you remember hearing, and call to ask. Share it with your oncologist or family doctor too.
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You decide who to tell
Your counsellor can help you plan how to tell relatives, and in what order. Some people share the family letter within days. Others need longer.
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Referrals are made
If you need screening or a specialist opinion, those appointments are arranged. If you already have cancer, your oncologist reviews whether the result affects your treatment.
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A follow-up conversation
Many clinics offer a later call or visit. It is a chance to ask the questions that came up once the news had settled, and to check that every referral actually happened.
Words in your letter
The follow-up words, in plain language
- Surveillance
- Regular checks to find a cancer early, or to spot changes before they become cancer. It is watching, not treatment.
- Cascade testing
- Testing relatives one by one for the fault already found, starting with the closest.
- Reclassification
- When a laboratory changes its view of a variant as new evidence arrives. Most uncertain variants are later judged harmless.
- Recontact
- The clinic getting back in touch because something about your result or the advice has changed.
- Risk-reducing options
- Steps that lower risk, such as extra screening, medicines or preventive surgery. They are choices, not requirements.
- Family letter
- A letter you can pass to relatives. It names the fault so they can be tested for it.
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Who to ask
Which question goes to which person?
Your question
Who to ask
What does my variant mean?
The counsellor who ordered the test
Does this change my treatment?
Your oncologist
When should my scans start?
The specialist running your screening
Should my sister be tested?
Your counsellor, then your sister's own clinic
A relative has just been diagnosed
Tell your counsellor. It may change the advice
Commonly believed
Four things people assume once the result is in
"Once I have my result, I am done with the counsellor."
Many people need a second conversation. Questions come up once the shock passes, and relatives often have questions of their own.
"A negative result means no more checks for anyone."
It depends on who was tested. If a known family fault was ruled out, your risk may be close to ordinary. If no fault was ever found in the family, screening may still be guided by the family history.
"An uncertain result will surely turn positive later."
Most uncertain variants are later judged harmless when they are reclassified. That is why nobody should act on one today.
"My children should be tested straight away."
For faults that raise risk only in adult life, testing usually waits until a child can decide for themselves. A few syndromes are different, and your counsellor will say if yours is one.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot set your screening plan. Which checks you need, and when they start, depends on the gene, the exact variant, your age and your family. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot decide for your relatives
Each adult relative decides for themselves whether to be tested. You can share the letter and the facts. You cannot make the choice for them, and a counsellor will not pressure them either.
Who this does not apply to
If you had tumour testing to guide treatment, that is a separate process with its own follow-up, covered under targeted therapy. This page is about inherited testing. If you have not yet had counselling at all, start with the pages on what a counsellor does and whether you need a test.
If your plan is unclear, call the clinic that saw you and ask for it in writing.Questions we are asked
Common questions about follow-up
Will I get my result in writing?
You should. Ask for a written summary of the result and the plan, and keep a copy of the laboratory report too. Future doctors, and relatives' counsellors, will want to see exactly what was found.
How will I know if my result is reclassified?
Ask this at the result session, because arrangements differ. Some clinics recontact patients when a laboratory updates a classification. Keep your contact details up to date, and ask your counsellor to check again if years have passed.
Who arranges my screening?
Your counsellor recommends it, and a specialist usually runs it. That might be a breast clinic, a gastroenterologist or your oncologist. Make sure you know the name of the person responsible, so the checks do not slip.
How do I tell my relatives?
Start with your closest blood relatives: parents, brothers, sisters and adult children. Give them the family letter so their own clinic knows what to test for. Your counsellor can help you plan what to say.
Should I tell the counsellor if a relative is diagnosed later?
Yes. A new diagnosis in the family can change the advice, even if your own test was negative. Call the clinic and tell them who was diagnosed, with what, and at roughly what age.
Does my result change my current treatment?
Sometimes. For some faults there are medicines or surgical choices that suit carriers better. That decision belongs to your oncologist, who should see your genetic result as soon as it is ready.
Can I ask for a second counselling session?
Yes. It is common and sensible. Many people only know what to ask once the first shock has passed. Bring your written summary and a list of questions, and bring a relative if that helps you remember.
What if I want to think about preventive surgery?
It is one option among several, alongside extra screening and medicines. Ask to be referred to a surgeon for a separate conversation. There is no need to decide quickly, and many people take their time.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What do the results of genetic tests mean?
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Post-test counselling: the result sessionWhat happens in the room when the result is givenWhat you should leave the appointment withA checklist before you walk outYour family letter and what to do with itHow relatives use it to get testedGetting a second opinion on genetic adviceWhen the plan does not feel right
Talk to us
Unsure what your follow-up plan should be?
Bring your written summary and we will help you work out the next step and who runs it. One helpline serves every CION centre.