A 41-year-old member asked:

Is cancer genetic?

5 doctor answers10 doctors weighed in
Dr. Steve Martinez
Breast Surgery 30 years experience
Some: Some cancers are genetic and run in families while others are sporadic and just randomly occur.
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Dr. Heidi Fowler
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Only some: Many cancers occur sporadically. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer , familial colon adenomatosis polyposis , hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer , multiple endocrine neoplasia ii, multiple endocrine neoplasia i, von hippel-lindau, ; li-fraumeni syndrome can be genetically linked.
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Dr. Richard Roberts
Pediatrics 48 years experience
Probably: We can identify many mutations which cause cancer or which predispose to cancer, such as BRCA 1 and 2, and provide invaluable susceptibility testing within a family. Now that we are getting down to recognizing the many dysfunctions which cause cancer, the mechanism in a non-classically genetic cancer may actually have an environmentally switched on genetic cause. There will likely be hundreds
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Simon Kimm
Urology 18 years experience
Yes and no.: Cancer is all genetic in that is arises from genetic changes that lead to the uncontrolled growth of cells. But these changes arise from a complex interplay between our inherited genes and our environmental exposures. Some cancers are completely inherited (vhl kidney tumors), some appear mostly environmental (smoking, hpv, radiation, diet), but most are a combination of both influences.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Heidi Fowler
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Cancer: Many cancers occur sporadically. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, retinoblastoma, familial colon adenomatosis polyposis , hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia ii, multiple endocrine neoplasia i, cowden's syndrome, familial melanoma, neurofibromatosis, von hippel-lindau, ; li-fraumeni syndrome can be genetically linked.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

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Last updated Mar 12, 2020
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