Know Your Cancer Risk

Understanding your cancer risk is a critical first step, and we've made it easier than ever to get started. Our process starts with a confidential online cancer risk assessment that you can complete in about 10 minutes. This powerful tool is the gateway to a truly personalized prevention strategy.

Here’s how it works:

• Complete Your Online Assessment: You will be guided to provide key information about your health, including your personal medical history, family cancer history, smoking history and cancer screening history.


• Advanced Risk Calculation: Our system uses the provided information to run sophisticated, evidence-based risk models to calculate your risk for specific cancers. This provides a clear, data-driven picture of your unique profile.


• Unlock Your Personalized Plan: The results of your assessment help our team determine the most appropriate next steps for you, including:
  • Eligibility for breast MRI and risk reduction medication for breast cancer
  • Eligibility for lung cancer screening
  • Eligibility for pancreatic screening
  • Genetic testing

Ten percent of cancers are hereditary. This means they are caused by a mutation in a gene that increases the risk of cancer. If you have a family history of cancer, you can undergo genetic testing to see if you carry a mutation that increases your risk of developing cancer.

Knowing you have a hereditary risk can allow for earlier screenings and preventative options such as surgery or risk-reducing medications.

We offer genetic testing for several cancer types, including:

• Blood
• Brain
• Breast
• Colorectal
• Kidney
• Ovarian
• Pancreatic
• Prostate
• Rare Tumors
• Skin
• Uterine

Everyone who undergoes genetic testing meets with a certified genetic counselor to review results and discuss any next steps. We offer in-person and telehealth options.

If you have a strong family history of cancer or have been identified through genetic testing as having hereditary variations that put you at an elevated cancer risk, the HICAP High-Risk Clinic provides dedicated, individualized surveillance.

We believe that keeping ahead of cancer with regular checkups is best. Our experts ensure you receive annual, coordinated checkups and screenings tailored to your specific risk profile, maximizing the chances of early detection and treatment.

We evaluate and manage individuals with:

• Elevated Breast Cancer Risk: Those who meet criteria for high-risk screening (e.g., breast MRI) or consideration of risk-reducing medications based on family history or other factors.
• Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome: Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes
• Lynch Syndrome
• Li Fraumeni Syndrome
• Hereditary Polyposis Syndromes
• ATM: Associated cancer predisposition syndrome
• CHEK2: Associated cancer predisposition syndrome
• Other Hereditary Syndromes: Associated with cancer

Studies have shown that annual low-dose CT (LDCT) scans for those at high-risk of lung cancer can reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer by up to 20%. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual LDCT screening for adults ages 50 to 80 who have a 20-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

This quick and painless imaging test is the only recommended screening tool for individuals at high risk for lung cancer. It uses a much lower radiation dose than a standard CT scan, does not use contrast dye and can detect even very small abnormalities in the lungs.

The Hennessy Institute is proud to offer a Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) clinic, providing leading-edge blood tests that detect traces of cancer at its earliest stages, often before symptoms appear. These tests analyze your blood for specific biomarkers released by cancer cells and are designed to detect many types of cancer, including some of the most aggressive forms that may not have standard screenings, such as pancreatic, ovarian and stomach cancer.

MCED is available for adults over 21, but is most beneficial for those with an inherited predisposition to cancer, a strong family history of cancer or those with significant environmental exposures. MCED testing is not recommended for those who are pregnant or have a recent diagnosis of cancer.

Receiving a positive MCED result means a potential cancer marker was detected. This is not a diagnosis but rather a signal for your doctor to investigate with follow-up tests, such as imaging. A biopsy may also be necessary. It's possible that an MCED test can be positive when no cancer is present, which is called a false positive. The Hennessy Institute walks you through potential results and limitations before testing.

Cost should never be a barrier to genetic testing. Most insurance plans cover genetic testing when indicated. Pre-authorization may be needed for some managed care programs. If your insurance does not cover the testing, the Hennessy Institute team will discuss available resources to help offset the testing costs.

We provide a free cancer risk assessment that is available to anyone, anywhere. If additional consultation is required, appointments can be made in person at the Hennessy Institute in Totowa or Clifton, NJ or done virtually for participants that live in NJ, NY, or PA.

Further testing or screenings can be scheduled at Hackensack Meridian Health locations. We also offer low dose CTs for lung cancer screening, multi-cancer early detection testing, and other resources.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Hennessy Institute at 862-657-4227 or email us at HICAP@hmhn.org