Most of us have relatives who have had cancer. This does not always mean there is a cancer gene variant in your family or that you have a much higher risk of cancer. Most cases of cancer are not caused by an inherited gene variant.
If you are worried about the pattern of cancer in your family, talk to your GP. They will ask you about any close blood relatives who have had cancer. Close blood relatives are your parents, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles and grandparents. People you are related to by marriage are not blood relatives.
Your GP will use the information about your family to assess your risk of cancer. If they think there is a chance cancer may run in your family, they can refer you to a genetics specialist. This is a doctor or other professional who helps to diagnose, manage, predict and screen for genetic disease.
The genetics specialist will check whether you are likely to have a higher-than-average risk of certain types of cancer. They may offer you genetic counselling to help you understand the cancer risks in your family. They can also tell you whether genetic testing is possible and useful in your situation.
The genetics specialist will explain whether you have a high risk of developing a certain type of cancer. This may be because:
genetic testing shows you have a gene variant that increases your cancer risk the pattern of cancer in your family may be caused by an unknown cancer gene variant the pattern of cancer in your family may be caused by a combination of lower-risk inherited gene variants.