What Is Cancer? 3 Cancer Genetics

Heredity means the transmission of some characteristics from parents to their children. And such a characteristic is called a trait. Traits include not only characteristics that we can see but also those that we cannot see, including predisposition or behavior. Cancer develops by accumulating genetic abnormalities. Genes are preserved in the nucleus of each cell. This is information on the base sequence of DNA, a design for constructing proteins. If a congenital germline mutation in genes associated with cell proliferation, cell cycle, DNA repair, et al. is transmitted from the parents, it can cause a predisposition to cancer. This is called hereditary cancer syndrome. The final diagnosis of hereditary tumor syndrome is performed by germline genetic testing. Germline genetic testing is also one kind of private information and should be handled with prudence. In principle, genetic testing should be carried out in the process of genetic counseling. FAP and HBOC are outlined below as examples of hereditary tumors. For people who are at high risk of cancer, the intervention of medical management, such as risk-reducing surgery or planned surveillance, can improve their outcome and quality of life.