Family Cancer Risk
Now days it seems like we hear more and more about various types of cancer. It is important to tell you family physician about your family medical history.
What do I mean by that? Well, there are various types of cancers that can run in a family.
Certain cancers can be rare but they can be in your family. Electronic medical records are only as good as the physician investigating a family history.
People move around. Families may move around, they could be alienated from each other, some folks are adopted, they may die, and they may have forgotten their family history. (I know in the last year I found more Anderson relatives of my husbands living in two states. Wow, who would think I could connect with them, send some family heirlooms and pictures? I found I could share some family medical history.)
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Here is the down and dirty information about hereditary cancers. Some people inherit the mutations and the syndromes. This increases their risk for various cancers.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations:
You are at increased risk for breast cancer if you are a man or woman with this mutation.
Ovarian cancer and prostate cancer runs in these families.
You may be at risk for Fallopian tube cancer.
There is also melanoma risk with this mutation.
Lynch Syndrome:
There is the risk for endometrial cancer. (There are six people in my family who have had this type of cancer in my family.)
You are also at risk for ovarian cancer.
You are at risk for brain, colorectal, prostate, skin cancer, small intestine, stomach, upper urinary tract, gallbladder duct cancer and liver cancer. (I had a brother die of liver cancer.)
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis or FAP:
You can even be at risk for colon cancer. (I have even met young people with colon cancer. It blows me away that young people can get colon cancer. ) Colon cancer is deadly. Have a colonoscopy if colon cancer runs in your family.
Li-Fraumeni Syndrome:
These folks are at risk for brain, breast, or even adrenal gland cancer.
The could also be risk for luekemia, osteosarcoma, soft tissue sacromas and even second, third, and fourth cancers. ( I sure hear of a lot of people dying of specific lukemias recently. Some are people I have meet or known.)
Hereditary RB Syndrome or RB1 Mutation:
This mutation puts folks or kids at risk for Retinoblastoma and bladder cancer.
www.familyhealthlink.osumc.edu
www.livestonrg.com/article/170403-family-medical-history-for-adopted-children
