• Question: Kathryn - How do people get cancer? My dad and auntie had cancer, so does that mean i am more likey to get it too?

    Asked by u11underhayr to Debbie, Glyn, Jon, Kat, Nicola on 12 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Jonathan Stone

      Jonathan Stone answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      Sorry to hear that 🙁 . I’m sure @Kat can give you some info.

    • Photo: Glyn Barrett

      Glyn Barrett answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      Hi u11underhayr!
      It really must be a terrible thing to see people you know get such a horrible thing! Hopefully they are getting good treatment.
      There are lots of scientists working on solving these problems so soon soon a solution may be found.

    • Photo: Nicola Fletcher

      Nicola Fletcher answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      I’m so sorry to hear that. I think we all know someone who has had cancer, that’s why so many people are doing really great research on cancer and the treatments are improving all the time.

    • Photo: Kathryn McMahon

      Kathryn McMahon answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      Hi u11underhayr,
      I’m really sorry to hear about your Dad and Auntie. It would be very hard to say if you are more likely to get cancer, as it depends on what type of cancer they had, how old they were, and also whether they smoked. Hopefully though, you are not more likely to get cancer, as most cancers occur at random, and most often as we get older. This is because, as you age, your DNA will become more damaged, and this can sometimes lead to cancer. This can happen to anyone, and will not be passed on to your children. As we enter old age, it becomes more and more likely that we will get cancer, so its not unusual to have older relatives with cancer.

      There are some cancers that are inherited, but this is only about 1 in 10 of all cancers, so quite unusual. These often strike when people are quite young (below the age of 40). These are caused by a damaged (mutated) gene that can be passed on from parent to child. An example of this is the BRCA gene. Mutated copies of this can pass from mother to daughter, and this can increase their chance of getting breast or ovarian cancer. One thing I should really stress though, is that even if you have one of these mutated genes, it doesn’t mean you will definitely get cancer, it just means you have a higher chance of getting it. You may still never get it. Also, if you do get it, because you have been checking for it regularly, you might find it earlier, which will make treating it easier.

      We also know that there are certain things that people do that vastly increase your chance of getting cancer. Smoking and sunbathing in particular can lead to cancer, so avoid these. A poor diet and being very overweight can also increase your risk of getting cancer, so eating your veg helps. Some infections can also increase your risk of cancer. A good example of this is the human papilloma virus. Women can catch this during sexual intercourse, and it increases your risk of cervical cancer. We can vaccinate girls now so that they can’t catch it, which is brilliant.

      I hope this has helped, rather than alarmed you. Cancer Research UK has a great website with lots of information about how to try and prevent cancer. They also have a free phone line that you can call if you are worried about cancer. Heres the link:

      http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/

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