The majority of people don’t carry hereditary cancer genes. However, some do, and if you were at an increased risk of developing cancer in your lifetime, would you want to know? Your first response to the question might be that you think it’s better not to know. However, if knowing…
There were around 42,000 new cases of bowel cancer a year in the UK between 2014 and 2016, according to Cancer Research UK. One in 15 men in the UK and one in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime. It is the third most common…
Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are linked to a dramatically increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers but did you known that pancreatic cancer is the third most common cancer associated with such mutations?
According to research funded by Cancer Research UK, men with a faulty BRCA2 gene are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Learn more about the research and the action you should take.
There is a growing awareness of genetic testing for a wide range of hereditary cancers. This is due, in part, to high profile celebrities like Angelina Jolie who famously underwent preventative breast cancer surgery after discovering she had the BRCA gene mutation, which greatly increases the risk of breast and…
Certain types of cancer are hereditary, meaning they can be passed down through families. Genetic testing is a way of identifying people at increased risk of these hereditary cancers, but it has tended to be women rather than men who, historically, have been encouraged to get themselves tested.
Genetic testing for certain health conditions, such as hereditary cancers, can be an empowering experience, enabling people to take control of their own health if they are at increased risk. A positive test result means you might choose to make different lifestyle choices that may reduce your risk of becoming ill.
Scientists have long known that there is a link between inherited mutations in the BRCA genes (known as BRCA1 and BRCA2) and an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. But these same genetic mutations are implicated in several other types of cancer, too, including prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and…
Research is offering us more and more clues about the causes of many different type of cancer. Genetics is far from the only cause, however genetic mutations have been shown to increase someone’s risk of various different types of cancers, including bowel, breast, ovarian, womb and prostate cancer.
There is no doubt that heeding the advice of doctors to stay safe in the sun can help to protect you against skin cancer. But, for some people, the risk of skin cancer is increased purely as a result of their genes. If you’re one of these people, what can you…