Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
ATM positive: your next steps, one at a time | CION Cancer Clinics
A positive ATM result is not an emergency. It means your cancer risk is moderately raised, and the next steps are planned over weeks. You will see a genetic counsellor, agree a screening plan and decide how to tell your family. This page walks through what changes, what stays the same, what the first months usually look like, and the fears that are not true. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists explain what a gene result means for you and your family, and plan the checks that follow.
NG
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
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- I have tested positive for ATM. What happens now?
- What changes after a positive result, and what stays the same?
- What do the first few months usually look like?
- What do the words on an ATM result mean?
- How do next steps differ if you have cancer or are well?
- What this page cannot tell you
- What do people fear after an ATM result that is not true?
- Common questions after a positive ATM result
The short answer
I have tested positive for ATM. What happens now?
Nothing has to happen today. An ATM fault raises cancer risk moderately, and the next steps are planned over weeks, not hours. You will see a genetic counsellor, agree a screening plan, and decide how to share the result with your family.
First, check what the report actually says
Look for the words pathogenic or likely pathogenic next to ATM. Those are the results that change care. If the report says variant of uncertain significance, it is not a positive result and should not change your screening or lead to surgery.
If you already have cancer
The result is passed to your treating team. It rarely changes the plan for the cancer you have today. In some situations it may add information to surgery or radiotherapy choices, or open up a targeted medicine in certain advanced cancers.
If you are well
For women, the main change is breast screening that starts earlier and may include an MRI. For men, it is usually an earlier conversation about prostate checks. Pancreas checks are added only when a close relative has had pancreatic cancer.
What you can usefully do this week
Keep a copy of the full report somewhere safe, and photograph it on your phone. Write down who in the family had cancer, which kind, and roughly how old they were, on both your mother's and father's side. Bring that list to the counselling appointment. It will make the conversation shorter and the plan more accurate.
A positive ATM result is a reason to be watched more closely. It is not a diagnosis of cancer.Four areas of life
What changes after a positive result, and what stays the same?
Most of daily life carries on exactly as before. These are the four places where the result does make a difference.
Your screening
Women usually move to yearly breast imaging from an earlier age than other women. Men may start PSA discussions earlier. A counsellor sets the details against your family tree.
Your treatment, if you have cancer
Your oncologist factors the result into surgery and radiotherapy discussions. In some advanced prostate cancers, an ATM fault can make a targeted medicine an option, though the benefit appears smaller than with BRCA faults.
Your family
Parents, brothers, sisters and adult children can be tested for your exact fault, cheaply and quickly.
Usually told first
- Brothers and sisters
- Adult children
- Parents, if living
Your everyday life
Nothing about work, food or exercise has to change because of the gene. The usual advice to avoid tobacco, limit alcohol and keep a healthy weight applies with a little more reason.
No diet, supplement or medicine can switch off an inherited fault. Be wary of anyone who sells one.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe first few months
What do the first few months usually look like?
-
The result appointment
The person who ordered the test explains what was found. Ask for a copy of the full report, not just a summary, because relatives will need the exact variant name.
-
Counselling with your family tree
A genetic counsellor maps who in the family had which cancer and at what age. This is what turns a gene name into a plan that fits you.
-
A screening plan in writing
You leave knowing which checks you need and roughly when they start. If you have already reached the starting age, the first scan is booked soon.
-
Telling the family
A family letter helps relatives understand the result and take it to their own doctor. Each adult then decides for themselves whether to be tested.
-
Settling into the routine
After the first round, most carriers have one main review a year. The plan is revisited whenever a relative is newly diagnosed.
On your report
What do the words on an ATM result mean?
- Pathogenic
- A change known to break the gene. This is a positive result and it changes care.
- Likely pathogenic
- Very probably breaks the gene. In practice it is managed the same way as a pathogenic result.
- Variant of uncertain significance
- A change the lab cannot yet classify. It should not change screening or surgery, and it may be reclassified later.
- Heterozygous
- One faulty copy and one working copy. This is what almost every ATM carrier has.
- Moderate-risk gene
- A gene whose faults raise cancer risk less than BRCA1 or BRCA2 do. ATM is usually described this way.
- Germline
- Present in every cell from birth, and so inheritable. A change found only in a tumour is called somatic.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
How do next steps differ if you have cancer or are well?
You already have cancer
You are well
Your oncologist weighs the result into treatment
A counsellor sets up a screening plan
Surveillance for other cancers follows treatment
Surveillance starts at the age advised
Relatives are offered testing
Relatives are offered testing
Some targeted medicines may be discussed
No medicine is needed because of the gene
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot interpret your own report. ATM faults differ, and a few specific variants are thought to carry more risk than others. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
Who this does not apply to
It does not apply to a variant of uncertain significance, which is not a positive result. It does not apply to a child with two faulty copies, who has ataxia-telangiectasia and is cared for by a specialist team. And it does not apply if ATM appeared only on a tumour report. A tumour finding guides treatment and belongs with targeted therapy. It needs a blood test to show whether it was inherited.
Where the evidence is thin
Studies of ATM carriers are smaller than those for BRCA. The value of pancreas screening, and the effect of radiotherapy in carriers, are still being studied. Your counsellor will tell you where the evidence is firm and where it is not.
Commonly believed
What do people fear after an ATM result that is not true?
"I need preventive surgery straight away."
For ATM on its own, preventive surgery is not routinely advised. Screening is the usual route. Surgery may be discussed only when the family history is very strong, and never in a hurry.
"I can never have radiotherapy."
For people with one faulty copy, radiotherapy is generally still given when it is the right treatment. The strongest radiation concern is in people with two faulty copies. Your oncologist will discuss it with you.
"My children must be tested now."
ATM raises risk in adult life, so testing usually waits until children are adults and can decide for themselves.
"This means I will get cancer."
Many ATM carriers never develop cancer. The result means your risk is higher than average, which is why checks start earlier. Those checks exist to find anything while it is small.
Questions we are asked
Common questions after a positive ATM result
How urgent is this?
It is not an emergency. Book a counselling appointment in the coming weeks, and keep any screening that is already planned. If you have a new lump or symptom, though, see a doctor about it straight away, whatever your result says.
Will this change my current cancer treatment?
Usually only a little. Your oncologist may weigh it into surgery or radiotherapy choices. In some advanced prostate cancers, it can make a targeted medicine an option. Ask your treating team directly how the result affects your plan.
Does ATM mean the same as BRCA?
No. Both genes help repair damaged DNA, but an ATM fault usually raises breast cancer risk less than a BRCA fault does. That is why the ATM plan tends to lean on screening rather than surgery.
Who in my family should I tell first?
Brothers, sisters, adult children and parents, if they are living. Each has a one in two chance of carrying the fault. A family letter from your counsellor makes the conversation easier and can be shared on WhatsApp.
Can I still have children?
Yes. Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting the fault. If your partner also carries an ATM fault, a child could inherit two copies, so partner testing is worth discussing, especially if you are related by blood.
Will this affect my insurance?
India has no dedicated law on genetic discrimination in insurance, and the position is not settled. Raise it with your counsellor early. Some people review existing cover before sharing the result widely.
Can my result change later?
A pathogenic result almost never changes. What can change is the advice built on it, as studies of ATM carriers grow. Ask your counsellor to review your plan every few years.
Can I get counselling in Telugu?
Yes. Ask for it when you book. Bringing a family member who can help you remember the details is also a good idea, especially if the result is new and there is a lot to take in.
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
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- MedlinePlus Genetics — ATM gene
- NCCN — Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, Pancreatic, and Prostate
- National Cancer Institute — Genetics of Breast and Gynecologic Cancers (PDQ)
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Ataxia-Telangiectasia
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
Surveillance for ATM carriersWhich checks, and roughly when they startTesting the family for ATMWho to tell first and how relatives get testedATM carriers and radiation sensitivityWhat the result means if radiotherapy is advisedATM mutation: which cancers and what riskThe cancers an ATM fault is linked to
Talk to us
Just received an ATM result and not sure where to start?
Bring the report, and a genetic counsellor can explain what it means for you and your family and set up a plan. We can arrange it in Telugu if you prefer. One helpline serves every CION centre.