People Are Worrying Unnecessarily About Hereditary Cancer, Says Cancerbackup

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 03 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

People are worrying unnecessarily about cancer running in their family because they don't realise that only a small number of cancers are hereditary - 90 per cent occur by chance. A staggering 91 per cent of people surveyed in a Cancerbackup poll on Genes Reunited's website, thought that if one of their relatives had cancer, they are at a greater risk than average of getting it themselves. In actual fact in the majority of cases this would not significantly increase someone's risk at all.

The information charity Cancerbackup has teamed up with Genes Reunited to highlight the myths that exist around cancer and genetics, as this month's focus of Cancerbackup's What Now? campaign. This survey reveals the unnecessary worry that exists because people overestimate their cancer risk based on their family history. Of over 1,000 people that responded to the survey 60% incorrectly thought that family history was the biggest risk factor for cancer and only 15 per cent knew that it is actually age - two thirds of cancer incidence is in people over 65-years-old.

"Worrying about cancer can be very debilitating and it is sad that people are not aware of the reality, that very few cancers are caused by a known inherited genetic link," says Dr Andrea Pithers, Cancerbackup genetic information manager. "Cancerbackup's What Now? campaign aims to put cancer genetic risk into perspective with other risks. At the same time people should know about how they can lower their risk with things they can actually change, like eating a healthy diet and exercise."

Martine Parnell, Head of Genes Reunited, said: "There are many triggers that set people off discovering their family tree, looking into the health of their ancestors is just one of them. Working with Cancerbackup we've been able to help reassure our members that only a small minority of cancers are hereditary. There's a real sense of community on the site as members help each other on the path to discovering who they are and where they come from and a group of members affected by cancer have set up a support network through the message boards on Genes Reunited."

When asked what percentage of cancers occur because of a known inherited genetic link, only 13 per cent of people knew that just 5-10 per cent of cancers are known to be hereditary. Furthermore, a quarter of people thought that between 50 - 100 per cent of cancers are hereditary.

The vast majority of people realised that it is not just breast cancer that can occur because of an inherited genetic link. However, they didn't realise that in order to suspect such a link, generally the same type of cancer (or cancers that are known to run together such as breast and ovarian or bowel and womb cancers) would need to occur in family members on the same side of the family. The majority of people (74%) wrongly thought that if several members of their family have had different types of cancer, it means that there is a strong chance of an inherited genetic link in the family

The factors that increase the chance that there might be an inherited genetic link in a family are...

-- the greater the number of relatives on the same side of the family with the same cancer, or cancers that are known to run together
-- the younger they were at diagnosis, and
-- the more closely related to you they are
Visit http://www.whatnow.org.uk/to follow Cancerbackup's What Now? campaign, highlighting the myths around cancer and genetics this month. See how the What Now? family jump to the wrong conclusions and suspect they have a "cancer gene", after they receive some shocking news.

Cancerbackup provides a series of are you worried about cancer' 'leaflets and a booklet on cancer and genetics.

1. Cancerbackup is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer.

2. All Cancerbackup services are free to cancer patients, their relatives and friends.

3. Cancerbackup Freephone Information Service: 0808 800 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm). Cancerbackup Centres can be found in St Bartholomew's Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital, the London Clinic, The Christie Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Nottingham City Hospital, Coventry's University Hospital and Jersey. The charity's website can be found at http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/

4. Cancerbackup, as a charity, receives 54% of its funding from individuals, 11% from charitable trusts, 5% from grants, 14% from companies, 2% from investments and 14% from its trading company. Pharmaceutical companies contributed 9% of the total 2005/06 income.

5. In April 2006 Cancerbackup changed its name from CancerBACUP, so that the charity's name better represents the service the charity provides: information, understanding and support to anyone affected by cancer.