Genetic testing is providing answers that could save the lives of cancer patients, as well as members of their families. “Knowledge is power,” says Sally Hughes, who was treated for endometrial cancer at the OSUCCC – James and was a participant in the Ohio Prevention and Treatment of Endometrial Cancer (OPTEC) statewide program. As part of OPTEC, women diagnosed with endometrial cancer were screened to determine if they had Lynch syndrome, an inherited genetic mutation that greatly increases the risk for colorectal, endometrial and other types of cancer. Family members of the women who tested positive were then screened. “This is called cascade testing and it saves lives,” says David Cohn, MD, MBA, the chief medical officer of the OSUCCC – James. Hughes and Cohn explain OPTEC in more detail on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Listen via the video player above or on SoundCloud. While Hughes did not have Lynch syndrome, which meant her children could not, she did test positive for a different genetic mutation that increases her risk of breast cancer. “Because of this and my family history [of cancer], I’m now in the High-Risk Breast Cancer Program at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center of the OSUCCC – James,” she says. “I go in every six months for a mammogram or MRI.” Since her diagnosis, Hughes has become an advocate for increased funding for cancer research and reducing health disparities, and she is an active member of The James Ambassadors Society.  “Cancer had a silver lining for me,” she says. “It gave me clarity about how I want to spend the next chapter of my life.”