The Different Kinds of Cancer Hereditary, Familial and Sporadic
The more than 100 types of tumor are grouped into different kinds of cancer. They can be hereditary, familial or sporadic. The genetic mutations or changes in your genes develop differently and understanding how a certain kind of cancer starts is a basic step on prevention.
You can inherit a mutated gene from your parents. The genetic mutations are in the cells of the ovaries and the testes, which produce the eggs and the sperm.
Every cell in the body will have the mutation. If you are born with the mutation, you are more likely to develop cancer than somebody who doesn't have it. The disease is also more likely to happen to you at a young age.
A hereditary cancer syndrome is also known as Li-Fraumeni. If you have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, the mutation occurred in the p53 gene.
This involves having one or more cases of the disease in a person's family. A person with a history of cancer has a slightly higher risk of developing it.
What is the difference between familial and hereditary?
In the familial kinds of cancer, abnormal cells are caused by a combination of germline mutations and somatic mutations. And inheriting the mutations poses only a slight risk of developing the disease.
The genes that influence familial cancer are still unknown and the effects of these mutated genes are still not fully understood. The germline mutations are also present in every cell of a person's body.
Scientists and doctors aren't yet certain how much of the tumors are triggered by germline mutations and how much by acquired mutations. Familial cancer may also happen because of the kind of lifestyle shared by the members of a family such as unhealthy eating habits.
Sporadic Cancer
Most types of cancer are sporadic. The DNA mutations of your cells are not passed to you by your parents. Instead, the mutations are all acquired and can happen in certain cells of your body.
But if the first mutation occurs in a gene that repairs or prevents other mutations, then the genetic changes can add up fast and the cell begins to divide out of control. Only the cells within the tumor contain the mutations.
Surprisingly, the p53 genes that create cell abnormalities in hereditary cancer are often the same genes found in sporadic cancers.
Prevention is very doable in sporadic kinds of cancer.
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