HJAR May/Jun 2026

40 MAY / JUN 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS DIALOGUE COLUMN ONCOLOGY IDENTIFYING individuals with hereditary cancer gene mutations has become an es- sential part of cancer prevention, early detec- tion, and cancer treatment, making the inte- gration of genetic counseling into oncology practice increasingly important inArkansas and beyond. Hereditary Cancer Risk in Oncology Care Cancer is fundamentally genetic. It is al- ways driven by genetic mutations in genes that are responsible for protecting our bodies from developing cancer. These genes are re- sponsible for repairing damage that happens INTEGRATION OF GENETIC COUNSELING into Modern Oncology Practice in Arkansas to our DNAor regulating how cells grow and divide. While the majority of the time these mutations are acquired during a person’s life- time, a significant portion of cancer is caused by inheritedmutations. Roughly 5% to 10%of cancer is linked to inherited mutations that are passed down through families. Inherited mutations put individuals at increased risk of cancer. Having a muta- tion does not guarantee that someone will get cancer, but their risk is higher, and they may develop cancer earlier in life or be diag- nosed withmultiple different cancers. Testing positive can trigger increased screening and surveillance, which could mean increased breast imaging, more frequent colonoscopies, discussion about risk-reducing medications or surgeries, etc. Genetic counselors inArkansas play a vital role in assessing individuals and families that may have an inherited cancer predisposition, discussing genetic testing and its implications, interpreting genetic test results, and explain- ing results to patients and providers. While genetic counseling is not yet integrated in all oncology practices, in Northwest Arkansas, oncology genetic counseling services are of- fered through Highlands Oncology and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and in CentralArkansas at CARTI and