Is Cancer Hereditary?

Cancer has now become common and it is no surprise to say that cancer can run in families. Certain types of cancers can be hereditary. This can become a problem for the new generation as you start sharing the behaviors, and exposure to the risk of cancer. If you have been smoking throughout your life and it develops lung cancer, then there can be chances that one child from your next generation may develop cancer and its symptoms. But, it doesn’t happen all of sudden; there are certain reasons behind this. Cancer can affect how you perceive certain factors or diseases like obesity that may run in your family. If you or anyone you know is going through cancer and its adverse changes, you can consider talking to the experts of the best cancer hospital in Bangalore .

• Cancer is a type of disease that passes from one generation to another because of abnormal genes (sometimes). These genes pass to the next generation and can resist causing cancer. This type of condition is called inherited cancer, which is caused by the inherited gene, not by cancer itself.
• Around 5 to 10 percent of cancers inherit directly from the genes that cause mutation. You may get these genes from at least one parent.

Get known to the terms- Genes, mutations, and cancer

Cancer is the type of disease where the cells grow abnormally and thrives on the oxygen level of your body. This happens because of the changes in your genes inside the cells. Genes are the important part of the DNA present inside each cell of the body. These genes can control how you make protein in your body and how you keep your body in balance. The genes and their growth affect your hair color, eyes, and height. It also affects how you perceive cancer and its symptoms.

• All the cells of your body have the genes that you receive from your parents or that you are born with. Although all cells have similar genes, different cells may have different genes, for example, muscles may have different genes compared to the genes of skin.
• The genes that may not be required by the body are turned off. While the genes that your body requires are “turned on”.
• If there is any abnormal change in the body, it will be carried forward with the help of mutation of the genes. The mutation affects how your genes work and can keep your body active throughout the time even if you have a problem with your gene.

Mutation of the genes can be passed on to the next generation

• Gene mutation is present inside the cells, sperms of the body, or even eggs of the body. Your body can pass on the mutation to the next generation; it can affect how your body divides the cells and how your body reacts to the changes when you are pregnant.
• All the cells come from the first cell itself; this kind of mutation exists in every cell and can pass onto the next generation.
• There is a term known as a somatic mutation, which does not come from the parents but you acquire later in life. However, this can pass to any new cells of the body that this particular cell generates. This kind of mutation is not present in the reproductive parts or cells of the body like sperms or eggs.
  

  Other Mutation Factors

• The acquired mutation is much more common than the inherited mutation; this can lead to many chances of cancer. For example, if you smoke throughout the day, this comes from acquired mutation. Similarly, if you are prone to smoking or are a kind of secondhand smoker, this can lead to mutation in eggs or sperm if you continue to stay in the same area for a long time.
• Family cancer and its symptoms develop because of the mutation that you inherit from your parents. This may happen because of the special type of gene, that is, tumor suppressor genes.
• These genes keep the cells under control and can slow down their growth by affecting their division. It can also repair DNA mistakes or tell the cells to die at the time.
• There exist two copies of genes in our body out of which one is taken from our parents. When someone inherits the abnormal cells, they start making out mutations in the cells. However, this is not the problem unless your other genes are working properly.
• But, if other genes can stop working altogether, this can lead to the loss of genes and this is the time when you called it acquired mutation. This can make genes grow out of control and lead to cancer which is generally because of a tumor suppressor gene.

A person who has inherited the gene copy from parents will only have to acquire the same genes from other cells for the cells not to work properly. This is more likely to happen than those of acquired copies of genes, so you develop the risk of cancer even if you have no one in the family with cancer mutation.

How can you detect the cancer syndrome that runs in your family?

It is important to understand that cancer has now become common, affecting nearly one person in every group of three people. You can develop cancer for a lifetime but it is uncommon to have such a type of cancer in families.

• When many cases of cancer occur in families, it happens because of the chance and how you acquire your activities like smoking.
• Sometimes, you develop the chances of interaction with your body and exposure to the environment.
• For example, your body can pass the chances of lung cancer if you smoke continuously throughout the day. This may happen because your body does not acquire any other way to reduce the toxins.
• Cancers that run in the family come from inherited genes and their mutation. Certain things develop in the family likely because of cancer and its symptoms.

You may develop the chances of cancer likely because of the uncommon or rare type of cancer that you acquire from one of your parents. For example, cancer like colon cancer can develop at a younger age somewhere around 20 years old.

Also Check: What is the significance of Vitamin Intake for Cancer Patients?