Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Waiting for a predictive genetic test result | CION Cancer Clinics
The wait for a predictive result is often harder than the test itself. It helps to know when the result is due, how it will be given and who will be with you. Worry during the wait is normal and says nothing about the answer. This page explains what happens to your sample, what helps while you wait, and what follows each result. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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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
- How do you get through the wait for a predictive result?
- What actually helps while you wait?
- What happens between the sample and the result?
- The words you will meet, in plain language
- What happens after each result?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things people think during the wait, and what is true
- Common questions about waiting for a result
The short answer
How do you get through the wait for a predictive result?
Plan for it. Most people find the wait harder than they expected. It helps to know the date the result is due, decide who will be with you on the day, and keep your ordinary routines going. Worry during the wait is normal, and it says nothing about what the result will be.
What a predictive test is
A predictive test is offered to a well person when a relative is already known to carry a fault. The laboratory looks only for that one change. For most inherited cancer faults, a child or a brother or sister of a carrier has a one in two chance of carrying it too. The answer is usually clear: you either carry the family fault or you do not.
Why the wait feels so long
Many people have carried the question for years, often since a parent or sibling became ill. Now the answer is close, and the mind fills the gap with the worst version. Nights tend to be harder than days. Knowing that this is a common pattern can make it easier to bear.
Nothing you feel during the wait changes the result. It was settled at birth.Practical help
What actually helps while you wait?
Counsellors hear the same four things again and again from people who have been through it.
Know when and how it will come
Ask at the sample appointment when the result is expected and how it will be given. A call you are not ready for, in the middle of a work meeting, is the thing people regret most.
Keep the circle small
Tell one or two people you trust. If the whole family knows the date, the daily "any news?" calls can add pressure you do not need.
Think through both outcomes
Spend a little time on what you would do after a positive result, and after a negative one. Having a rough plan for each makes result day feel less like a cliff edge.
Keep ordinary life going
Work, meals, prayer, walks and time with children all help. Try to limit late-night searching. Online stories are often extreme and rarely match your family's situation.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What happens between the sample and the result?
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Pre-test counselling
A counsellor checks that you want the test, explains what each result would mean and asks how you would like to hear it. You can stop at this point if you are not ready.
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The sample is taken
Usually a small blood sample, sometimes saliva. It takes minutes. The laboratory needs your relative's report so it knows exactly which change to look for.
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The laboratory tests it
Your sample is checked for the single family fault, and the finding is confirmed before it is reported. Timing depends on the laboratory, so ask for the expected date.
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The result goes to your counsellor
It is usually sent to the person who ordered the test, not to you directly. They review it and arrange to give it to you in the way you agreed.
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The result session
You hear the result, have time to react and ask questions, and leave with a written summary and a clear next step, whichever way it went.
On your report
The words you will meet, in plain language
- Predictive test
- A test for a well person, looking for a fault already found in the family. It predicts risk. It does not diagnose cancer.
- Familial variant
- The exact gene change found in your relative. Your test looks for this change and nothing else.
- Positive
- You carry the family fault. Your risk is raised, and a plan for check-ups will be discussed.
- True negative
- You do not carry the family fault. You cannot pass it on, and your risk from it is ruled out.
- Result session
- The appointment or call where the result is explained. You can bring someone with you.
- Pre-test counselling
- The conversation before the sample, where you agree to the test and plan how you want to hear the result.
Side by side
What happens after each result?
If you carry the fault
If you do not
A screening plan is matched to the gene
Screening usually follows what is normal for your age
Your children can be offered testing when adult
Your children cannot inherit this fault from you
Ways to lower risk are discussed, one at a time
Other family history is still reviewed
Support is offered for the news
Support is offered too, as relief can bring guilt
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your result will be. It also cannot give you a turnaround time, because that depends on the laboratory and the checks it runs. What your specific variant means for you is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot make the wait feel short
No advice removes the uncertainty. If worry stops you from sleeping, eating or working for more than a few nights, tell your counsellor before the result day. They can check on progress with the laboratory, or arrange someone to talk to in the meantime.
Who this does not apply to
If you are the first person in your family to be tested, you are not having a predictive test. Your test searches many genes, and the possible results include uncertain findings, so the wait and the result session are different. If you already have cancer, your oncologist will explain how the result fits into your treatment.
Commonly believed
Four things people think during the wait, and what is true
"The longer it takes, the worse the news must be."
Timing depends on the laboratory's queue and its quality checks. It has nothing to do with what the result shows. Positive and negative results take the same route.
"I feel healthy, so it will be negative."
How you feel says nothing about whether you carry the fault. Almost everyone having a predictive test is well, whatever the result turns out to be.
"I look like my mother, so I must have her gene."
Looks and gene faults are inherited separately. Brothers and sisters who resemble the carrier parent are no more likely to carry the fault than those who do not.
"A negative result means I can never get cancer."
It means you did not inherit that fault. You still have the ordinary risk everyone has, and your doctor may still look at other parts of your family history.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about waiting for a result
How long does a predictive test result take?
It depends on the laboratory. Looking for one known family change is usually simpler than the first test in a family, which searches many genes. Ask for the expected date when your sample is taken, and ask who to call if it has not arrived by then.
Why does the result go to the counsellor and not to me?
So that someone qualified can check it and explain it properly. A report read alone, without context, is easy to misunderstand. The counsellor also makes sure you get the result in the way you chose, with support if you need it.
Can I bring someone to the result appointment?
Yes, and it is a good idea. Choose someone calm who can remember what was said and help you get home. Many people bring a spouse, a sibling who has already been tested, or a close friend. Tell the counsellor in advance who will come.
Can I get the result by phone?
Often, if you agree this beforehand. Choose a time when you are at home, not at work or driving, and have someone nearby. A face-to-face session can still follow to talk through what the result means.
Is it normal to want to cancel the test while waiting?
Yes. Many people have second thoughts. You can ask for the result to be held and not given to you, or to be given later. Talk to your counsellor about it. Changing your mind is allowed at any point.
Should I tell my employer I am waiting for a result?
There is no need. A predictive test is about future risk, not current illness. If you need time off for the result session, you can simply say it is a medical appointment. What you share about genetic results is your own decision.
The worry is stopping me from sleeping. What should I do?
Tell your counsellor now rather than waiting for result day. Simple steps help some people, such as keeping a routine, avoiding late-night searching and talking to one trusted person. If worry is taking over your days, ask for a referral to a psychologist.
What happens straight after the result?
You leave with a written summary and a next step. After a positive result that is usually a screening plan. After a negative result it is often a check of whether anything else in your family history matters. Call the CION helpline if you have questions later.
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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Patient stories
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Sources
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- National Cancer Institute — Cancer Genetics Risk Assessment and Counseling (PDQ) – Health Professional Version
- MedlinePlus Genetics — How is genetic testing done?
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
Talk to us
Finding the wait hard?
You can talk to a counsellor before your result day, and ask for extra support if the worry is taking over. Tell us where you are in the process and we will help. One helpline serves every CION centre.