Did you know that some people are more susceptible to cancer than others?

This article was reviewed by Dr. Guo Xiaoqiang, a popular science writer in the field of life sciences

Everyone has a greater or lesser risk of developing cancer in our lifetime, but some people are "naturally" more likely to develop cancer than others because they may have inherited cancer genes from their parents.

In October 2020, the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology (JAMA Oncology) published a research paper from the world's number one "Mayo Clinic", revealing the genetic truth of cancer!

A research team from the Mayo Clinic conducted genetic testing on 2,984 confirmed cancer patients. The results showed that more than one-eighth (397 people, 13.3%) of the cancer patients had heritable gene mutations associated with cancer.

In other words, this 1/8 of cancer patients inherited the cancer from their parents!

These cancers that are passed on to the next generation cover a variety of cancer types, such as:

Breast cancer,

Colorectal cancer,

Lung cancer,

Ovarian cancer,

Pancreatic cancer,

Bladder cancer,

Prostate cancer

Endometrial cancer

......

Of course, although this study only covers a part of the population, it also reveals the genetic truth of cancer. In real life, we often see a family suffer from the same cancer one after another, or brothers and sisters suffer from similar cancers.

It has to be said that the "power" of cancer in terms of genetics cannot be underestimated.

Cancer has a clear familial clustering phenomenon:

Several members of the family have been diagnosed with cancer

1. American "gastric cancer family": 11 people chose to have their stomachs removed

A large family of people have been killed by stomach cancer one after another. This seemingly exaggerated thing actually exists. In 2006, foreign media reported the story of a "stomach cancer family" in the United States where 11 people had their stomachs removed.

In 1960, American Ms. Golda Bradfield died of stomach cancer at the age of 64. In the following 46 years, 10 members of this family lost their lives due to the same terminal illness or suspected terminal illness.

Of the Bradfield family's 18 grandchildren, David Allen died in 2003 from the family's genetic disease.

Soon after, the remaining 17 people all underwent genetic testing, and the results showed that 11 of them carried the mutated gene for this familial hereditary gastric cancer. So, after a decision, all chose to remove the stomach organ and digest food through the small intestine.

The picture shows 10 family members who had just completed gastrectomy gathered in Las Vegas on May 27, 2006.

2. Anita Mui: All four of her brothers and sisters suffered from cancer

Anita Mui was a singer and actress loved by many people. Unfortunately, she died of cervical cancer in 2003.

But many people don't know that Anita Mui's four siblings are all cancer patients. Her sister Mei Aifang also died of cervical cancer, her brother Mei Deming died of laryngeal cancer, and her eldest brother Mei Qiming was also diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

3. Patient’s family members: Many people in the family suffer from multiple cancers

Hu Yang, deputy chief physician of the Respiratory Department of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, once shared a patient's family member he met in real life. Many people in her family suffered from different cancers:

The mother had endometrial cancer;

My mother’s father had lung cancer;

The mother's mother had breast cancer;

My mother's two brothers and one sister have lung cancer;

My mother’s grandfather had lung cancer;

Another of my mother’s brothers has nasopharyngeal cancer;

…………

"From the phenomenon of familial clustering of cancer to the research on molecular epidemiology of tumors, all have proved that cancer has a genetic tendency." Luo Rongcheng, director of the Cancer Center of Southern Medical University and chief expert of internal medicine at Fuda Cancer Hospital affiliated to Jinan University, said that cancer is essentially a genetic disease - genes that originally play an important physiological role in normal cells become abnormally activated under certain conditions, such as viral infection, chemical carcinogens or radiation, and are transformed into oncogenes, inducing cells to become cancerous.

Genes, as the basic unit of heredity, may indeed cause the inheritance of certain cancers. However, the inheritance process itself is very complex, and the inheritance probability and genetic basis of different cancers vary greatly.

In layman's terms, cancer inheritance is different from common genetic diseases, and it is different from "whatever disease the father has, the son will have the same disease". Cancer inheritance may cause multiple people to suffer from different cancers. A pathogenic mutation in a gene may cause multiple cancers. For example, a mutation in the brca1 gene may cause breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Someone in your family has these 8 types of cancer.

Pay special attention!

At present, humans do not fully understand the mechanism of cancer occurrence, and the causes of many cancers are still unclear. It has been proven that there are more than 30 types of cancer with obvious genetic tendency. Luo Rongcheng, director of the Cancer Center of Southern Medical University and chief expert of internal medicine at the Fuda Cancer Hospital affiliated to Jinan University, introduced that the following 8 types are more common:

1. Breast cancer

In the 1990s, the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 were discovered, but only 5% to 10% of breast cancers are related to genetic inheritance.

Generally speaking, if a mother or sister in a family has breast cancer, the chance of her daughter or sister developing breast cancer is about three times higher than that of the average woman.

Screening: Breast ultrasound, mammography (molybdenum-palladium)

Prevention Tips:

▶ Develop a healthy lifestyle, stay away from tobacco and alcohol, eat proper nutrition, maintain a healthy weight, and keep exercising;

▶ Give birth at the right time and breastfeed;

▶ Participate in breast screening and have regular physical examinations.

2. Ovarian cancer

About 20% to 25% of epithelial ovarian cancers are related to genetic factors. A family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, etc. may increase the risk of ovarian cancer in female family members.

Screening: serum CA-125 test (carbohydrate antigen), transvaginal ultrasound

Prevention Tips:

▶ Maintain good living habits, regular work and rest, a healthy diet, reduce the intake of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, and increase physical exercise;

▶ After genetic counseling and risk assessment, those who need to undergo genetic testing should undergo testing as soon as possible;

▶ For high-risk women who carry pathogenic variants or suspected pathogenic variants that increase the risk of ovarian cancer, preventive removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes at the corresponding age after completing childbearing;

▶ In theory, any behavior that can stop the ovaries from ovulating for a period of time can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, such as birth control pills, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Therefore, timely childbirth and breastfeeding are encouraged;

▶ After genetic counseling, some high-risk women can choose to take oral contraceptives in the short term to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer (long-term use may increase the risk of breast cancer);

▶ High-risk women of childbearing age should discuss possible genetic blocking options with tumor genetic counselors and reproductive physicians before giving birth.

3. Bowel cancer

Familial colon polyps are prone to develop into colorectal cancer. If parents suffer from colorectal cancer caused by the above diseases, their children have a 50% chance of developing the same type of cancer.

Screening: Fecal occult blood (FOBT) test, colonoscopy

Prevention Tips:

▶ Keep doing physical exercise and avoid obesity;

▶ Eat a healthy diet, increase the intake of crude fiber and fresh fruits, and avoid high-fat and high-protein diets;

▶ Elderly people can try taking low-dose aspirin, which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and colorectal cancer. Please consult a doctor for specific use;

▶ Quit smoking to avoid its long-term toxicity and inflammatory stimulation to the digestive tract.

4. Gastric cancer

Among all gastric cancer patients, 10% have a clear tendency of family clustering. A large amount of data shows that family history of tumors, especially the history of gastric cancer in direct relatives, is a risk factor for gastric cancer. The risk of gastric cancer in relatives of gastric cancer patients is 2 to 3 times higher than that of other people.

Screening: Gastroscopy

Prevention Tips:

▶ Establish healthy eating habits and dietary structure, and avoid overeating;

▶ Avoid Helicobacter pylori infection;

▶ Reduce the consumption of raw, cold, spicy, overheated, hard foods, and smoked, pickled and other high-salt foods;

▶ Quit smoking;

▶ Drink less or no strong alcohol;

▶ Relax and relieve stress in a reasonable way.

5. Lung cancer

A survey in Japan showed that 35.8% of patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma had a family history; among female patients with alveolar cell carcinoma, 58.3% had a family history.

Screening: Low-dose spiral CT

Prevention Tips:

▶ Quit smoking;

▶ People who are at risk of occupational exposure should take protective measures;

▶ Be careful to avoid indoor air pollution, such as passive smoking, heating with open flames, contact with oil smoke, etc.;

▶ When the air is seriously polluted, avoid going out and exercising;

▶ People with respiratory diseases should receive timely and standardized treatment.

6. Endometrial cancer

According to statistics, among all endometrial cancer patients, about 5% are caused by genetic factors, and the age of onset of these patients is 10 to 20 years younger than the average age of sporadic endometrial cancer patients.

Screening: Ultrasound

Prevention Tips:

▶ Do not use or abuse estrogen skin care products;

▶ Regular exercise is recommended to avoid excessive fat intake. Excessive fat accumulation in the body will also increase the storage of estrogen;

▶ Pay attention to menstrual changes during the perimenopausal period. Seek medical attention immediately if you have vaginal bleeding or discharge after menopause. Those with high-risk factors should go to a specialist hospital for regular check-ups.

7. Pancreatic cancer

5% to 10% of pancreatic cancer patients have a family history of the disease. If more than one direct relative (i.e., parents, siblings, children, etc.) has the disease, the chance of developing the disease increases significantly, and it often occurs before the age of 50.

Screening: Abdominal CT, MRI, B-ultrasound and blood tests for tumor markers such as CA19-9, CA125, CEA, etc.

Prevention Tips:

▶ Quit smoking and control alcohol consumption;

▶ Promote a light, easily digestible, low-fat diet;

▶ Eat more poultry, fish and shrimp, and it is recommended to eat cruciferous vegetables, such as green vegetables, cabbage, radish, broccoli, etc.;

▶ Promote outdoor aerobic activities;

▶ Patients with pancreatic duct stones, intraductal mucinous papilloma, cystic adenoma or other benign pancreatic lesions should seek medical attention promptly.

8. Prostate cancer

If a direct relative is diagnosed with prostate cancer, the risk of the person developing prostate cancer will double. If two or more direct relatives are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the relative risk will increase to 5 to 11 times.

Screening: PSA test

Prevention Tips:

▶ Avoid bad habits such as smoking and drinking;

▶ Reduce the intake of foods high in animal fat, as these foods contain more saturated fatty acids, and increase the intake of vegetables and fruits;

▶ Avoid overly spicy foods, as these foods can cause excessive congestion of the prostate;

▶ In daily life, drink plenty of water and urinate frequently, avoid holding urine and sitting for long periods of time;

▶ Moderate physical exercise is recommended.

Source: Health Times

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