COURIER L 38 IFE, OCT. 11-17, 2019
Understanding family
cancer syndromes
Few, if any, families
have not been affected
by cancer. No
individual or family
is immune to cancer,
but some families may be
more at risk of developing
certain types of cancer
than others.
In many instances,
cancers that run in
families can be linked to
behaviors that families
share. For example, families
that smoke tobacco
may be more vulnerable
to cancer than those that
don’t, as the smoke from
tobacco is known to contain
dozens of carcinogens.
Cancer can affect
multiple generations,
even in families in which
only one person smokes,
as exposure to secondhand
smoke also increases
cancer risk.
But poor behaviors
or the effects of those behaviors
are not the only
cancer risk factors that
can be passed down
from generation
to generation.
According to the
American Cancer
Society, between
five and 10 percent
of all cancers result
directly from
gene mutations
inherited from
a parent. When
cancers within a family
are strongly linked to
such mutations, this is
known as family cancer
syndrome.
Cancer is not necessarily
caused by a family
cancer syndrome, even
if gene mutations are inherited.
But the following
factors may make it more
likely that cancers in a
family are caused by a
family cancer syndrome:
• Many cases of the
same type of cancer, especially
if the cancer is
considered uncommon or
rare.
• Cancers that occur at
an abnormally young age
within a family compared
to the median age such
cancers are typically diagnosed
among the general
population.
• More than one type of
cancer in a single person.
• Cancers that occur in
both of a pair of organs,
such as in both kidneys,
both breasts, or both
Such instances are rare,
but an elevated risk for certain
types of cancer can be
passed down from generation
to generation.
eyes.
• More than one childhood
cancer in siblings.
• Cancer that occurs in
a sex that is not usually
affected by that type of
cancer, such as a man being
diagnosed with breast
cancer.
Before discussing the
potential of a family cancer
syndrome with their
physicians, men and women
can survey their
family histories
with the disease.
Adults can make a
list of the people in
their families who
have been diagnosed
with
cancer, noting
their relationship
to each individual
and which side
of the family each person
is on. List the type of
cancers each person was
diagnosed with, placing
an asterisk or note next
to types that are considered
rare or unusual. In
addition, list the age of
diagnosis for each family
member and whether or
not they developed more
than one type of cancer.
This may be difficult
to determine, but try to
learn if each relative diagnosed
with cancer made
any lifestyle choices that
might have contributed
to their diagnosis. Such
choices include smoking,
alcohol consumption,
diet, and activity level.
Family cancer syndromes
are rare, but understanding
them can
still help families make
the right lifestyle choices.
More information about
family cancer syndromes
is available at www.cancer.
org.
MAX
/www.can-cer.org
/www.can-cer.org
/www.can-cer.org