A cancer diagnosis can be devastating, and for many, it can come too late for treatment. Doctors say new studies into the genetics of the disease can help patients know what their health risks are before cancer develops.

The disease has taken the lives of Grammy-winning singer D'Angelo, actor Chadwick Boseman, and actress Kirstie Allie, as well as thousands of other across the country and around the world. Still, many Georgians who are eligible to be screened for colon or pancreatic cancer don't schedule an appointment.

Colon cancer is more common in men than women, with a 50% higher risk. Pancreatic cancer is slightly more common in men than women, and both types of cancer are more common and deadlier in Black patients, especially Black men.

Dr. Sonia Thomas, a professor, vice chair, and clinical oncology specialist at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, said that scientists have identified multiple genes associated with colon cancer.

"There's something called FAP, and then we also have something linked to Lynch syndrome," Thomas said. "We have a newer gene, called BRAF, that we're able to detect as well as a higher risk. Same with pancreatic. There is a role of actually BRCA with pancreatic, more of BRCA1 versus BRCA2, and all of these genes that pretty much just tell us that there's a higher risk of developing."

In some cases, a person diagnosed with Lynch syndrome and BRCA1 is nearly three times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to someone who doesn't have the gene marker.

Thomas said that knowing these genes can help doctors ensure patients get diagnosed earlier, before any cancer detected reaches a later stage.

"With pancreatic cancer, a lot of times there are no signs and symptoms," she said.

Dr. Olatunji Alese, the GI Cancer Research Team Lead at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, said that genetic testing doesn't account for all cancer diagnoses, but it can help.

"Only 10 to 15% of all pancreatic cancers develop due to a genetic predisposition. So the vast majority may also have genetic aberrations, alterations in the tumor. But these were not necessarily the reason why the patients developed cancer," he said. "But for this minority of patients, you really want to break them down into those with family history of pancreatic cancer, especially when you have one or two first-degree relatives developing the cancer, and then those without any family history but with genetic mutations that have been historically tied to developing pancreatic cancer."

Both doctors recommended screenings for eligible individuals, with earlier screenings for anyone who inherited the abnormal gene.

If you have a family history of cancer, you can qualify to get testing done for the genes through your primary care provider and have it covered by your insurance. It's a simple test, often done with saliva or serum.

You can be tested without the family history, but it is likely that it won't be covered.