Your surgeon clearly feels that, because of your young age, there is a chance that your bowel cancer could be the result of an abnormal gene or an increased family susceptibility, and has arranged the referral to the genetic, or family cancer, clinic to get further advice.
When you go to the family cancer clinic the doctor will go through your family medical history with you very carefully. He or she will particularly want to know about any family members who have developed bowel cancer and, if possible, the ages at which they discovered their cancers. They will be especially interested in: parents; grandparents; siblings; aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces.
If the doctor thinks there is a strong chance that you may have an inherited cancer, you may be offered a blood test. This is to see if you have abnormal changes in one of the genes which have been shown to be related to inherited bowel cancer. You do not have to take a genetic test. You might want to talk to your family about what it would mean for you and them if there was a genetic susceptibility to bowel cancer in your family. If necessary, your family can access bowel cancer screening programmes, whether you decide to take the test or not.
Your visit to the family cancer clinic should also include some counselling about inherited cancer with an explanation of the risks for you and your family. There will also be a discussion about any tests that you and/or your relatives may need. You will also be given guidance on any precautions that may need to be taken. Usually, you will be sent a letter after your visit giving all these details in writing so you can be sure of what was said.
At the moment family cancer clinics are usually only available at larger hospitals or special centres so you may have to travel some distance to get to the clinic and you may have to wait some time for an appointment.
If the team at the family cancer clinic think that members of your family could be at risk of developing bowel cancer, they will discuss this fully with you. Because medical consultations are confidential, no-one will tell your GP or the rest of your family about this cancer risk. You will be encouraged to share information with your family so that they can decide for themselves whether to seek advice and find out about possible screening for themselves.