• By Jodi Tahsler
  • Posted August 19, 2024

From Lynch Syndrome Diagnosis to Advocacy: A Patient and Genetic Counselor Reconnect

In honor of Patient Advocacy Day, Ambry connected with a genetic counselor and one of her former patients to find out how genetic testing made a difference for his healthcare and inspired him to advocate for other patients. Ofri Leitner, MS, LCGC, is a genetic counselor who currently manages the Oncology Genetics Program at UNC Rex Cancer Center…


  • By Marcy Richardson, PhD
  • Posted March 28, 2024

APC: New Takes on an Old Gene

A Brief History of APC The APC pathway was discovered in 1982 (more than 40 years ago!). APC is a tumor suppressor gene, meaning it helps the cell division process happen in a controlled way, which helps prevent tumor development. In 1991, Kinzler and Vogelstein discovered that pathogenic variants in the APC gene are…


  • By Noelle Carbognin
  • Posted March 22, 2024

Transforming Fear into Action and Advocacy: Our Family’s Lynch Syndrome Story

It has been almost 3 years since my father was offered genetic testing after developing three different types of cancers. He also had an alarming family history – multiple relatives with cancer, going back generations. After he received a positive result for Lynch Syndrome, putting him at an increased risk for colon cancer and other types of…


  • By Liese Vito, MD
  • Posted February 7, 2024

CARE Patient Examples at Lake Health

Many patients are anxious about their family history—more than providers realize. In some cases, they may feel like a ticking time bomb with no options. In Part One of this blog series, I talked about The Ambry CARE ProgramTM and how Lake Health has been able to use it to identify more high-risk patients, increase family history and cancer risk…


  • By Meagan Farmer
  • Posted August 2, 2023

Her Healthcare: Offering Comprehensive Care with Hereditary Cancer Testing

Dr. Noel Boyd is an OB/GYN who has been in private practice in a suburb of Houston, TX, for 21 years. The patients seen in her practice, Her Healthcare, range in age from 9 to 99, and she cares for them through everything from routine exams to high-risk pregnancy, from contraception counseling to cancer screening. “I really love taking care…


  • By Catherine Schultz, MS, CGC
  • Posted March 23, 2023

Ambry Genetics Diagnostic Dilemma: +RNAinsight® Reveals Lynch Syndrome in Sisters

In recognition of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Ambry would like to share the story of Jane and Julie Smith (not their real names) – sisters and cancer survivors. Jane was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004 at the age of 36. While she was concerned about her diagnosis and family history of ovarian cancer, genetic testing was not widely available…


  • By Jaime Burguieres
  • Posted September 29, 2022

An Attitude of Gratitude: Jaime Burguieres’ Previvor Cancer Journey Guided by Ambry Genetic Testing

When Jaime Burguieres was young, her 43-year-old maternal aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Burguieres watched her vivacious aunt go through painful radiation and chemotherapy treatments that seemingly eradicated her cancer at the time. A few years later, her aunt was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the breast, stomach, and hip,…


  • By Eleanor Meghan Cary Brown
  • Posted March 8, 2018

No Colon, No Cancer: I Fought for the Life I Deserved.

I never thought I’d hear the “C” word. Newly married and about to start my graduate degree, everything seemed bright. That is until a routine colonoscopy discovered severe high-grade dysplasia. My doctor explained that he was confident it would eventually manifest into cancer and urged something be done. With the click of the phone, I collapsed…


  • By David Dubin
  • Posted March 30, 2017

Since You Asked, Here's My Advice to Cancer Patients

In my role as co-founder of AliveAndKickn, people ask me for my opinion all the time. Topics range from how to manage pain, how to navigate post-cancer survivorship, to whether or not the U.S. will ever become a world soccer powerhouse. (No, I’m not kidding.) I’m not big on giving advice, but I try to answer as honestly as I can. First,…


  • By Kory Jasperson, MS,CGC
  • Posted March 23, 2017

How Expert Care Teams Can Help You - Repost

Editor’s Note: In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we are re-posting this piece by an Ambry genetic counselor. His many years of clinical experience working with families affected by hereditary colorectal cancer helped him understand the importance of expert care teams, and how they can help you. My name is…