Myriad Genetics Blog Myriad Genetics Blog > Sports Anchor Hannah Storm Shines Spotlight on the Importance of Genetic Testing Sports Anchor Hannah Storm Shines Spotlight on the Importance of Genetic Testing February 5, 2025 Hereditary Cancer MyRisk Women's Health Hannah Storm is a legendary sports journalist, producer and director who has broken barriers in the sports industry. She is also a breast cancer survivor. Storm was first diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in January 2024 and underwent a lumpectomy shortly after. Her routine mammogram had detected something suspicious, prompting an ultrasound, which lead to a biopsy, which ultimately lead to her diagnosis. After her diagnosis and treatment, Storm reflected on her experience. She wondered if there were steps, she could have taken to better understand her breast cancer risk. During her research, one risk factor stood out more than the others: her family’s history of cancer. She realized how this could have impacted her own cancer risk and began to consider how her diagnosis might affect her children’s risk as well. “I learned a lot this past year about cancer since getting diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year ago,” said Storm in a recent episode of the Living Ageless podcast. “[Whether it’s] your parents, grandparents, cousins…that’s all information that you need to know in order to be able to assess your cancer risk.” It wasn’t until her own diagnosis that she realized that cancer on both sides of her family – maternal and paternal – could have an impact on her lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. Storm spent time talking to her family, including her three daughters, about the importance of family health history – something she wouldn’t necessarily have discussed before her diagnosis. “I didn’t realize that it was really important to understand what kind of cancers were on both sides of your family. My father died of cancer, but it never occurred to me that I might have an elevated risk of having cancer,” said Storm recently. Understanding family history isn’t just important for breast cancer, but for a host of cancers that effect both men and women. Storm hopes her unique position as a member of the sports community will bring awareness of cancer risk to those who may not normally pay attention to this topic. So you’re ready to talk to your family about cancer risk. What should you ask? Important risk factors to understand are: Family history of cancer that is diagnosed at a young age (50 or younger), like breast cancer diagnosed at age 45 Multiples of the same type of cancers on the same side of the family – like three colorectal cancers on the paternal side Rare cancers like ovarian or pancreatic cancer If you have any of these in your family history, you may benefit from hereditary cancer testing. To get started, visit Myriad.com/knowyourhistory. Taking a hereditary cancer test can be scary – and many think it means inevitable invasive procedures or surgery – but that’s not always the case. Knowing your cancer risk can allow you and your clinician to make a plan – like increased screening frequency – and allows you to face genetic risks from an informed place. Hannah hopes her experience will empower others to start a conversation with loved ones about their family health history and consider potentially life-changing resources like genetic testing, to make informed decisions about their futures.