My mum's mum died of cancer.
My mum's dad has cancer.
My mum has some sort of cancer.
My dad – I don't really know.
Should I worry already?

Depends. Are they all the same sort? I would certainly get real advise and consider screening. For example if they all had bowel cancer annual screening ( just a test on your poo) is well worth doing.

Depends on the specific sorts of cancers.
But I'd cut out the fags and beer and cured meats.

Medical progress has made many diseases curable, many more diseases (cancer) diagnosable, and everybody has to die of something.

Whereas years ago people died of "old age" now it tends to be cancer that gets us, often something that's lying in the background until some other ailment weakens us.

Males – prostate cancer according to the latest I got from Mum.
Women – vagina, lungs and others.
No fags in my life, little booze, healthy foods. I'll be seeing my GP on Tuesday, scary thoughts all round.

prostrate cancer you tend to die with not of easy to screen for and easyish to treat (it does come in different varieties tho)

I wouldn't be too worried. Get the advice off your GP and take whatever screening is offered.

Hairychested, my mother died of cancer three years ago, her father had died in his early 40s of similar cancer. There is cancer running right through that side of the family.

After my mother died, my sister found out about a Genetics unit (run at the local hospital but through donations) that looks into these kind of connections. They looked into our family history and determined that there was indeed a particularly nasty kind of cancer that ran through my mother's father's family. He'd passed it on to her (possibly) and her sisters (definitely). Of course this meant that I might have inherited the gene, and passed it on to my kids (similarly for my brothers/sister/cousins/etc).

It would mean a massively increased chance of contracting bowel/skin cancer.

The Genetics service were able to find the relevant gene and have given us the good news that I haven't inherited, and neither of my siblings have it. Excellent news.

Of course that doesn't mean that we won't die of cancer……..

If you are really worried, do some research on the net and see if you have any sort of Cancer Genetics Service locally. The cancers don't need to be the same 'sort' to be linked (in my family's case, Muir Torre syndrome links bowel and skin cancer among others), and TJ is sort of right that bowel cancer screening will reduce the chances of having it, but it's not poo testing, it's sticking cameras up your bum!

My family mostly die of cancer. I figure I might as well just get on and enjoy life.

idlejohn – bowel cancer screening is usually an FOB test – feacal occult blood. Not as good as cameara up the bum screening but cheaper and easier – so the camera is only usually used for very high risk people. My mate with a bad family history of bowel cancer does and FOB every year

To be honest mate, I can't really think of any family which doesn't have cancer in it somewhere.

On my dads side, my gran died of breast cancer at 55, my grandad died of lung cancer at 70 (smoked but gave up years ago) and my dad died of lung cancer at 60 (again smoked, but had given up 10 years ago).

On my mums side, my auntie got breast cancer at 27 and survived, and my nan died of some sort of cancer at about 65.

There isn't really a great deal you can do about it apart from live a healthy life and avoid things which are known to increase your chances of cancer, whilst keeping an eye on the fact that you only get one life so make sure you enjoy it!!
When my dad was dying I did a lot of research online and remember reading that if men all lived long enough, they would get prostate cancer if they didn't die of something else first. My dad died quite young at 60, and it p*sses me off a lot that my kids don't have a grandad anymore, and I do wonder if we had found it earlier he might have survived, but on the other side of it, he was on holiday having a great time 10 weeks before he died and I am not sure his life would have been any better if he'd had a 2 year struggle with cancer and then lost anyway?

I know I am waffling a little, but I guess what I am trying to say is don't waste time worrying about something you probably have no control over, just make sure you keep healthy and keep an eye on yourself (or a hand!!)

TandemJeremy – Member

I wouldn't be too worried. Get the advice off your GP and take whatever screening is offered.

Forget the GP – most of them are overworked, uncaring, don't actually know about these services, etc. Do the leg work yourself.

I had been in touch with the Genetics service, been for one bowel cancer screening session, and was waiting for results from relatives blood and gene tests, when I had a mole removed from my shoulder.

While prepping, my GP said something along the lines of – "We really don't need to remove moles these days, even when they've grown, changed colour and become hairy" (like mine had).

I replied that I was more concerned about the growing mole, in combination with the possible Muir-Torre syndrome running in the family (linked to skin cancer).

He basically shrugged it off as if I was making the whole thing up, denied that the Genetic service had ever written to him and said that there was nothing on my medical notes to show the ongoing investigation.

Oh, and it was a complete lack of care from her GP that led to my Mother's symptoms not being acted upon and her subsequent death a short time later. Who knows, if her GP had been able to do his job properly, she might still be alive.

Sorry TJ, mention of GPs makes me rather angry these days. Incompetnt nobs IMO.

I get the camera jobby every 3 years or so as both my brother and grandfather had bowel cancer.
The picolax thread still rests in my head!

If you haven't inherited the gene then I'd be a bit less inclined to panic however nothings written in stone and cancer is a possibility for all of us.

My wife's been having mammagrams for the last 8 years since she turned 30 due to high incidences of bowel and breast cancer in her mothers family(apparently these cancers share a common link)out of 13 brothers and sisters 8 have died from cancer ,2 survived operations(1 is her mum) and the remaining 3 died of old age.

The last test my wife had found pre-cancerous cells which she has had removed(touch wood) and she had the genetics test 6 weeks ago to see if she's inherited the genes , after talking we've agreed if they're there then she's going in for a hysterectomy and double mastectomy . We've got a 4 year old son who needs to keep his mum around!

Now I'm really worried, will see my GP (I'm there regarding something unrelated anyway) and see what she reckons. As my local NHS services are awful, I'll see a specialist next time I'm at my parents' who live abroad and medical services there are mostly free and really good (judging by my asthma treatment so far).
I've been told the prostate cancer check is pretty much a finger up your bum, at least some kinky doc/nurse can have fun 😉

Hairychested

I've survived 2 cancers (testicular & skin) so it's not all gloomy.

The most important thing is to get checked if you suspect a possible genetic link or if you find any symptons.

I survived one cancer by luck (and oustanding care via the NHS) and the other by being parinoid and checking with my GP because a mole had changed colour.

If in doubt get checked.

Good luck.

Get advice from your GP or a genetic counselor.

Usually cancer is a multihit theory but it depends on your lifestyle and dietary habits too.

It could be genetic depending on the types of tumor-what is it going wrong a genetic default in tyrosine kinase pathway etc?

I wouldn't worry but make sure you know your body and note any changes in your urine flow and bumps.

Just a tiny tip that my Nan used to get quicker/better treatment via the NHS – she paid privitly for a consultation with a speacialist (who had a private practice and an NHS contract) and then, after he gave his diagnosis, ask him to treat her on the NHS. He agreed and she went straight to the top of the NHS list for surgery; it shouldn't work but it does…