Cancers that are known to be hereditary

There are some cancers that occur more often in some families than in others.

Studies have shown that breast and ovarian cancer often show up over many generations in one family. An inherited gene mutation that increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer usually increases her risk of ovarian cancer as well. As a result, the 2 risks are often estimated together.

Colon cancer is another type of cancer that is often seen in members of the same family. Gene mutations associated with colon cancer may also increase the risk for developing other cancers like:

• cancer of the uterus
• cancer of the rectum (lower end of the large bowel that links it to the anus)
• stomach cancer
• cancer of the urinary tract
• ovarian cancer

Other cancers that may occur within the same family include:

• prostate cancer
• familial medullary thyroid carcinoma
• retinoblastoma
• Wilm’s tumour
• some forms of leukemia
• pancreatic cancer

Research is continuing to find genes that may put people at higher risk of developing other types of cancer.