Distinctly Montana Magazine

2022 // Spring

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 27 Betsy Smith, MS, CGC Genetic Counselor Whitney McKinley, DNP, FNP-C Oncology How to Handle Your High Risk of Cancer Betsy Smith, certified genetic counselor, and Whitney McKinley, oncology nurse practitioner, are providing peace of mind for people who have a higher-than-average likelihood of developing cancer in their lifetime. The expert team's combined compassion, knowledge, and guidance ensure patients know they will be taken care of, no matter what news might come along the way. For most patients, they would tell you it means peace of mind. Cancer can be a scary thing, and when you've seen your loved ones face a diagnosis like that, it can really hit home. Our goal is to provide reassurance and listen to the concerns our patients have, as well as to help them be proactive and empowered to take active steps for risk reduction and early detection. If cancers are caught as early as possible, we can successfully treat them. For someone at high risk, it can provide a great deal of hope knowing we are there to help them either reduce their risks or catch a cancer early. For example, we care for a few families with a condition that puts them at an increased risk for an aggressive form of kidney cancer. By doing MRIs or CT scans on a regular basis, we can find those kidney cancers early and treat them successfully with surgery. That tailored care in a high-risk individual can be lifesaving. As a certified genetic counselor, Betsy reviews a particular patient's medical and family history to help them determine whether there may be a hereditary cancer syndrome in the family, coordinates genetic testing if needed, and then helps interpret those results for each patient. For families with a strong history of cancer, but who don't have a known hereditary cancer syndrome, their risks could still be greater than the general population and necessitate more aggressive screening and risk reduction. That's where Whitney comes in. As a nurse practitioner, she looks for signs and symptoms that help us find cancers early, when we can treat them the best. She can order additional medical testing, screening tests, and prescribe medications to help our high-risk patients reduce their risks. Whitney can also follow patients long term to help interpret any new symptoms they are worried about or adjust their healthcare needs over time. Together, we keep up on changes with the patient and their health, and we dedicate ourselves to staying current with the science of cancer genetics and risk management. What does it mean to be a patient of the high-risk program at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute? How does the high-risk team work together to help patients? To schedule a consultation or for more information about the high-risk program, please call (406) 731-8290. A tradition of advanced care. Learn more at Benefis.org

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