Our recent YouGov survey has found that although nearly 3 in 4 people would be willing to take up genetic testing if they were eligible, yet there is wide-spread misunderstanding of what cancers may be hereditary.
This Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month we will be raising awareness of inherited risks so that more people can identify any increased risks in their family histories, increase their awareness of signs, symptoms and risk factors, and access genetic testing if they are eligible.
Nearly 1 in 4 people wrongly believe that all cancers are hereditary. Only 1 in 10 people are aware that womb cancer can carry an inherited increased risk, and only 1 in 5 are aware that ovarian cancer can also carry a hereditary risk.
Cancer cannot be passed down the family or inherited, but you can inherit an increased risk of certain cancers through changes (which can be called alterations or mutations) in genes. There are some known gene alterations that increase the risk of certain cancers, with the most common being BRCA gene alterations and Lynch syndrome.
Inherited cancer risks like BRCA alterations and Lynch syndrome can pass down through one side of the family, through blood-relatives of any gender. If someone has a family history of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer, OR bowel, womb and ovarian cancer, they may be eligible for genetic testing and should contact their GP for more information.
3 in 4
people would be willing to take up genetic testing if they were eligible
Nearly
1 in 4
people wrongly believe that all cancers are hereditary
Only
1 in 10
people are aware that womb cancer can carry an inherited increased risk
Only
1 in 5
are aware that ovarian cancer can carry a hereditary risk
Finding out if you have an inherited cancer risk brings powerful knowledge that can help you reduce your cancer risk. You can access important options to prevent cancer from developing or to detect it early. These might include scans, blood tests and surveillance or risk reducing surgery (having the organs at risk of cancer removed). This means that cancer may be prevented entirely or picked up early, when it is most treatable.
It is essential to increase awareness and broaden access to genetic testing for cancer genes like BRCA and Lynch Syndrome genes. These cancers are potentially preventable. Only a small proportion of eligible individuals currently access testing. Finding out one is a gene carrier after a cancer diagnosis, in my view is a failure of cancer prevention.
-Prof Ranjit Manchanda, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust
1 in every 250 people in the UK are estimated to have a BRCA gene alteration(1), which is increased to 1 in 40 if you are of Jewish descent. BRCA alterations increase the risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer. 1 in every 300 people in the UK are estimated to carry a genetic alteration associated with Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome increases the risk of bowel, womb and ovarian cancer.
Around 15 in every 100 ovarian cancers are linked to an alteration in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes(1). Around 3 in every 100 bowel cancers, and 3 in 100 womb cancers are linked to Lynch syndrome.
When it comes to cancer, knowledge really is power. We want to prevent every single case of cancer from developing that we can. We want everyone to be aware of this information and how they can take action to look after themselves and of course their families.
–Athena Lamnisos, The Eve Appeal CEO
I feel so lucky to be aware of my inherited risks of cancer. It enables me to be vigilant in recognising signs and symptoms and I am able to take preventative measures too. My Mum died of ovarian cancer 10 years ago, and found out about her BRCA alteration late into her cancer diagnosis. If she knew of her inherited risks sooner, things could have been very different for her and our family.
–Christen, who has a BRCA gene alteration and co-founded BRCA+ Chat
References:
- Manickam, K.; Buchanan, A.H.; Schwartz, M.L.B.; Hallquist, M.L.G.; Williams, J.L.; Rahm, A.K.; Rocha, H.; Savatt, J.M.; Evans, A.E.; Butry, L.M., et al. Exome Sequencing-Based Screening for BRCA1/2 Expected Pathogenic Variants Among Adult Biobank Participants. JAMA Netw Open 2018, 1, e182140, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.2140.
- Thompson, E.R.; Rowley, S.M.; Li, N.; McInerny, S.; Devereux, L.; Wong-Brown, M.W.; Trainer, A.H.; Mitchell, G.; Scott, R.J.; James, P.A., et al. Panel Testing for Familial Breast Cancer: Calibrating the Tension Between Research and Clinical Care. J Clin Oncol 2016, 34, 1455-1459, doi:10.1200/JCO.2015.63.7454.
- Rowley, S.M.; Mascarenhas, L.; Devereux, L.; Li, N.; Amarasinghe, K.C.; Zethoven, M.; Lee, J.E.A.; Lewis, A.; Morgan, J.A.; Limb, S., et al. Population-based genetic testing of asymptomatic women for breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. Genet Med 2019, 21, 913-922, doi:10.1038/s41436-018-0277-0.
- Manchanda, R.; Patel, S.; Gordeev, V.S.; Antoniou, A.C.; Smith, S.; Lee, A.; Hopper, J.L.; MacInnis, R.J.; Turnbull, C.; Ramus, S.J., et al. Cost-effectiveness of Population-Based BRCA1, BRCA2, RAD51C, RAD51D, BRIP1, PALB2 Mutation Testing in Unselected General Population Women. J Natl Cancer Inst 2018, 110, 714-725, doi:10.1093/jnci/djx265.
- Kara N. Maxwell, Susan M. Domchek, Katherine L. Nathanson, and Mark E. Robson. Population Frequency of Germline BRCA1/2 Mutations. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2016 34:34, 4183-4185
- Win AK, Jenkins MA, Dowty JG, et al. Prevalence and Penetrance of Major Genes and Polygenes for Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(3):404-12. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0693 [published Online First: 2016/11/02]
More information
We have lots more information on reducing gynae cancer risks and understanding inherited risks. You can also contact our Ask Eve nurses for free to chat about any worries or questions.
