Genetics behind cancer and how screening can lower risk factor

Corey Glessner

Genetics behind cancer and how screening can lower the risk factor.

The advancement in molecular genetics has allowed medical personal to figure out cancer risk in humans by screening. Early detection of cancer can decrease the risk and allow the physicians and patients to make better decisions. This article uses gastrointestinal tract cancer as an example and in turn can show how other cancers can be screened using the same method.

Screening parents for hereditary cancer allows the physicians to watch over the offspring and allow for better decision-making between the physician and patient. An example would be Watson et al screening of relatives to determine risk assessment in other family members and in turn would decrease the risk of cancer in other family members.

Familial Barrett’s Esophagus (FBE) has been analyzed by taking data on 881 singly ascertained pedigrees to determine if environmental or genetic agents are a factor. If they are genetic then what is passed along to cause FBE. There is one major inheritance transmitted from one generation to the next. There are 1 or more rare autosomal inherited dominant susceptibility alleles in FBE families.

There are two major categories of gastric cancer. The more popular one, which is found in the general population more has been proven to be due to environmental such as a person diet. The other one has been proven to have a trait passed along throughout generations. The use of different genetic tools were use to determine the odds of the gastric cancer passed down in families once the mutations were noted and followed.

There were more cancers screened such as Familial Adenmatous Polyposis, which is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. FAP has shown up in 1 out of 8,000 people and one third of the people have shown no family history and in this case the mutation must have happened in the single person and can be possibly passed down to his or her offspring.

Lynch Syndrome can be managed better if it is found out early on that the patient is carrying the mutation. The evaluation of genomic applications in practice and prevention has reported that the overall validity of the test run to found out if the potential for lynch syndrome is really good. If it is in your family tree the institute of medicine recommends testing other family members even if it isn’t immediate such as sons or daughters.

Screening has allowed for the discovery of who is harboring what genetic mutations and better decisions can be made and steps can be taken to prevent the mutation from being passed along or showing up in other generations. Figuring out and screening early on should be done to anyone in your family if a mutation was found in your parents because there is no telling how far the mutation has been in your family.

Lynch T Henry, Lynch F. Jane, Shaw G. Trudy. Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes. Gastrointestinal cancer Research Volume 4 issue 4. August 2011