With increasing age at tumor diagnosis in families with cancer, cancer is limited to fewer organs

• Hereditary cancer that has monogenic inheritance affects every tenth patient, on average, who is diagnosed with cancer, and it has been suggested based on twin studies, that approximately 30% of all cancer patients have a genetic predisposition to developing cancer. The author posited that familial syndromes become more organ specific with increasing age at tumour presentation to the point that very late in life, only a few organs are affected by tumours disease. The reason for this could be that the tumour originates from a more differentiated, organ-specific progenitor/stem cell later in life, while the progenitor/stem cell might be involved in organogenesis in different organs earlier in life. Examples are given for skin cancer and breast cancer. Summary: Patients with familial cancer who present with cancer at an older age at tumour presentation have a more organ restricted disease. This could be because the tumor has a more differentiated progenitor/stem cell origin. Examples are given for families with breast cancer, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancer.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

breast cancer

cancer epidemiology

cancer patient

clinical study

diagnosis

hereditary tumor syndrome

female

genetic predisposition

human

melanoma

organogenesis

skin cancer

stem cell

tumor diagnosis

twin study

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