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.

Subject headings

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

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

Keyword

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

Publication and Content Type

kon (subject category)

ref (subject category)