Our understanding of the genetic impact on cancer risk continues to evolve rapidly, and scientific advances in the field have led to significant changes in genetic screening for cancer risk in terms of what we test for, whom we test and how we test.
Cancer Genetics
Parents do everything they can to keep their children safe and secure. So when an unexpected cancer diagnosis hits, it’s scary to think that you might have passed your cancer risk along to your children. For almost 700,000 Americans living with a brain tumor, there’s one question: “Is it hereditary?”
Too many cases of pancreatic cancer are not discovered until the disease has already spread.
By studying similarities in high-risk individuals and tracing connections between their blood relatives, researchers are helping solve the mysteries of a disease that is usually diagnosed in the late stages, when it is harder to treat.
Epigenetics describes how normal genes that control the body’s functions can be switched on or off by different exposures and experiences, from before birth through adulthood. These changes could potentially affect the health of our offspring for generations.
A genetic consultation is often recommended for people who are concerned about their risk for cancer due to a personal or family history of cancer.
People with Down syndrome have an increased risk of developing very specific types of childhood leukemia, but Eugene Yu, PhD, has an additional reason to focus on the genetic mysteries of Down syndrome.