A family history of cancer is certainly a common, uncontrollable risk factor. But most cancers aren't inherited. Cancer is a genetic disease caused by abnormal changes over time to genes that control ...

A newly identified and rare genetic variant slows the growth of mutated blood stem cells and reduces the risk of leukemia.

We share a lot of traits with our family members—from eye color to tongue rolling, height to shoe size. Of course, some inherited factors are less visible and more consequential, such as genes that ...

Rare inherited genetic variants significantly increase familial lung cancer risk, offering new targets for early detection.

When it comes to colorectal cancer, we’re all at risk at least a little, says Ulrike “Riki” Peters, PhD, MPH, a molecular and genetic epidemiologist with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “Many people ...

As a growing number of never-smokers are being diagnosed with lung cancer, new research aims to better understand the genetic risk, or predisposition, for developing lung cancer — and study ...

Men who inherit an increased risk of cancer through 'Lynch syndrome' could benefit from regular PSA testing from age 40 to detect early signs of prostate cancer, researchers believe. Annual PSA tests ...

BALTIMORE -- Regular screenings are critical to identifying and treating cancer early. It's also important to be aware of any genetic mutations that already exist in your body. Dr Joanne Mortimer, a ...

Up to 15% of some cancers are linked to an inherited gene mutation. That risk can increase to 70% with breast cancer. In Australia, thousands carry an inherited risk through known gene mutations, or ...

I would like to receive WebMD’s Newsletter and other email updates from WebMD. Find out who’s at risk for inherited breast cancer. Learn about the genetic testing process. Know when genetic testing is ...

Most cancer genome studies have focused on mutations in the tumor itself and how such gene variants allow a tumor to grow unchecked. A new study, led by researchers at Washington University School of ...

A study of men with a family history of prostate cancer has discovered an inherited form of prostate cancer. The inherited mutated gene WNT9B, which functions normally in embryonic prostate ...