Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

Cancer is a common disease and so we find that most families will have some members who have also had cancer. The origin of cancer can be due to the environment, attributed to an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle, medically induced from prior radiation as an example, or passed down from your parents.

Hereditary cancer syndromes are caused by mutations (changes) in certain genes passed down from parents to their children. In a hereditary cancer syndrome, certain patterns of cancer may be seen within families.

Knowledge of cancer genetics is rapidly improving our understanding of cancer biology, helping to identify at-risk individuals within a family, and establishing treatment tailored to the individual and leading to the development of new treatment options.