I’m lucky. Because although I’ve worn the all-too-familiar MD Anderson patient wristband off and on since July 2015, I’ve never actually had cancer. And I have my doctor and MD Anderson to thank for that.

During a routine checkup several years ago, my physician asked if my mother had ever been tested for hereditary cancer syndromes. She knew that my mom is a 20-year breast cancer survivor whose family has a long history of that...