Health & Nutrition Health and Nutrition - February 2018.edcoan.ir | Page 24

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Brother
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Knowing your family’s history of cancer can help you better assess your own risk. This
sample family tree depicts a family with a history of ovarian, breast and prostate cancer.
also play a part in your cancer
risk assessment. For instance,
if your father died of lung
cancer in his 80s and was a
lifelong smoker, the cancer
probably did not reflect a
strong genetic trait.
If you can pinpoint a certain
hereditary cancer in your
family, you may run the risk
of developing other types of
cancers associated with it.
For instance, 3% of people
with colon cancer have Lynch
Syndrome, an inherited
disorder that also increases the
risk of cancers of the stomach,
kidney, bladder, skin, and (in
women) uterus.
Of course, a family medical
history can be difficult to
obtain. Family members can be
estranged or not forthcoming
about their history of cancer.
And odds are your older
relatives have passed away.
Even if you can’t create a
complete family cancer history,
any medical information you
can provide your doctor is
helpful. “For instance, knowing
if family members have died
of other causes and age at
diagnosis or death can help
build a family history profile,”
says Dr Rana.
24 February 2018 HEALTH & NUTRITION