{"id":9449,"date":"2025-04-23T20:56:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T17:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/?p=9449"},"modified":"2026-04-20T18:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:54:31","slug":"hereditary-cancer-is-also-a-genetic-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/hereditary-cancer-is-also-a-genetic-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Hereditary cancer: what it is and when to get a genetic test"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"\" data-start=\"579\" data-end=\"614\">What is the essence of hereditary cancer?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"616\" data-end=\"862\">Hereditary cancer is not a disease passed down from parents to children, but <strong data-start=\"677\" data-end=\"720\">the presence of changes (mutations) in certain genes<\/strong>, that <strong data-start=\"725\" data-end=\"771\">significantly increase the risk of developing cancer<\/strong>. A person is not born with cancer, but has a higher chance of developing the disease throughout life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"864\" data-end=\"1014\">Mutations can be transmitted through either the maternal or paternal line. It is known that about <strong data-start=\"951\" data-end=\"1013\">5\u201310% of all cancers are linked to hereditary factors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\" data-start=\"1016\" data-end=\"1062\">What types of cancer are most often hereditary?<\/h2>\n<ul data-start=\"1064\" data-end=\"1286\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1064\" data-end=\"1091\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1066\" data-end=\"1091\"><strong data-start=\"1066\" data-end=\"1089\">Breast cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1092\" data-end=\"1112\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1094\" data-end=\"1112\"><strong data-start=\"1094\" data-end=\"1110\">Ovarian cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1113\" data-end=\"1146\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1115\" data-end=\"1146\"><strong data-start=\"1115\" data-end=\"1144\">Prostate cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1147\" data-end=\"1196\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1149\" data-end=\"1196\"><strong data-start=\"1149\" data-end=\"1194\">Colorectal cancer (colon and rectum)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1197\" data-end=\"1213\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1199\" data-end=\"1213\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/how-to-diagnose-melanoma-the-most-dangerous-skin-cancer-early-detection\/\"><strong data-start=\"1199\" data-end=\"1211\">Melanoma<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1214\" data-end=\"1245\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1216\" data-end=\"1245\"><strong data-start=\"1216\" data-end=\"1243\">Pancreatic cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1246\" data-end=\"1286\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1248\" data-end=\"1286\"><strong data-start=\"1248\" data-end=\"1286\">Medullary thyroid cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1288\" data-end=\"1470\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/analysis\/diagnosis-of-tumor-markers\/oncogenetics-brca1-brca2-identification-of-genetic-polymorphisms-associated-with-the-risk-of-breast-cancer\/\">Mutations in genes <\/a><strong data-start=\"1304\" data-end=\"1343\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/analysis\/diagnosis-of-tumor-markers\/oncogenetics-brca1-brca2-identification-of-genetic-polymorphisms-associated-with-the-risk-of-breast-cancer\/\">BRCA1, BRCA2<\/a>, TP53, MLH1, MSH2, APC<\/strong> and others significantly increase the risks. For example, women with the BRCA1 mutation have up to a 70% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\" data-start=\"1472\" data-end=\"1512\">When to suspect a hereditary form<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1514\" data-end=\"1599\">There are several signs that prompt a doctor or genetic counselor to refer you for testing:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1601\" data-end=\"1910\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1601\" data-end=\"1643\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1603\" data-end=\"1643\">Oncology in <strong data-start=\"1615\" data-end=\"1641\">2\u20133 generations in a row<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1644\" data-end=\"1694\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1646\" data-end=\"1694\">Cancer cases under the age of <strong data-start=\"1669\" data-end=\"1692\">50 years or younger<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1695\" data-end=\"1740\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1697\" data-end=\"1740\">One person has <strong data-start=\"1713\" data-end=\"1738\">several types of tumors<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1741\" data-end=\"1800\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1743\" data-end=\"1800\">Were <strong data-start=\"1748\" data-end=\"1771\">bilateral tumors<\/strong> (for example, in both breasts)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1801\" data-end=\"1910\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1803\" data-end=\"1910\">There were both female and male oncological diagnoses of the same type in the family (for example, breast cancer in a man)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9451\" src=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/themes\/woodmart\/images\/lazy.svg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Skrining.jpg\" alt=\"Schematic representation of a pedigree with oncology cases\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Skrining.jpg 600w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Skrining-150x90.jpg 150w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Skrining-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\" data-start=\"1912\" data-end=\"1953\">How to find out if there is a hereditary predisposition<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1955\" data-end=\"2104\">The most informative way is <strong data-start=\"1983\" data-end=\"2010\">genetic blood test<\/strong> or a cheek swab. It determines whether a patient has specific mutations associated with cancer risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2106\" data-end=\"2210\">Before the test, a consultation with a geneticist is mandatory. After - a discussion of the results and a strategy of action:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"2212\" data-end=\"2365\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2212\" data-end=\"2229\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2214\" data-end=\"2229\">observation<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2230\" data-end=\"2284\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2232\" data-end=\"2284\">more frequent examinations (ultrasound, mammography, colonoscopy)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2285\" data-end=\"2342\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2287\" data-end=\"2342\">prophylactic removal of an organ (in rare cases)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2343\" data-end=\"2365\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2345\" data-end=\"2365\">informing relatives<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"\" data-start=\"2367\" data-end=\"2402\">What to do if the risk is increased<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2404\" data-end=\"2525\">A positive genetic test result does not mean that you will definitely get the disease. It <strong data-start=\"2482\" data-end=\"2524\">a signal that it is worth acting proactively<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"2527\" data-end=\"2675\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2527\" data-end=\"2553\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2529\" data-end=\"2553\">don&#039;t ignore symptoms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2554\" data-end=\"2586\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2556\" data-end=\"2586\">undergo routine examinations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2587\" data-end=\"2646\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2589\" data-end=\"2646\">change lifestyle (quitting smoking, diet, exercise)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2647\" data-end=\"2675\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2649\" data-end=\"2675\">be in touch with a specialist<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2677\" data-end=\"2834\">Early risk identification enables <strong data-start=\"2715\" data-end=\"2773\">detect cancer early or even prevent its development<\/strong>. Sometimes this helps to avoid difficult treatment in the future.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the essence of hereditary cancer? Hereditary cancer is not a disease that is passed on from parents to children, but the presence of changes (mutations)<\/p>","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":9450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}