Abstract

A hereditary cancer syndrome is a term used to describe when a gene
alteration that significantly raises the chance of developing cancer occurs
in a family. It’s crucial to realise that familial cancer syndrome is not the
cause of every cancer that appears to run in families. It is typical for there
to be several cancer cases in a family because around 1 in 3 Americans
will acquire cancer at some point in their lifetime. Sometimes, cancer
may be more prevalent in particular families due to shared risk-raising
habits or exposures, like smoking, or due to other characteristics that
may run in specific families, like obesity. However, a defective gene that
is carried down through the generations occasionally causes cancer.
Although these malignancies are sometimes referred to as hereditary
cancers, the abnormal gene that can cause cancer, not the cancer itself, is
what is inherited. Only 5% to 10% of all malignancies are known to have
a significant genetic relationship (called a mutation) to a parent.