Cancer Tumors - Where Do they Come From?

The information below is a small part of an article in the latest The John Hopkins Medical Letter (January 2009), but I feel it's important to reiterate.

"All tumors are caused by genetic mutations. Some of these occur spontaneously with age or because of the environment; others are inherited. A hereditary mutation is more likely in people with strong family history, meaning:

* Cancer developed in several relatives across different generations
* One relative was diagnosed at an early age, or
* One relative developed two types of cancer.

"About 10% of people who get cancer have a strong family history; a smaller number within this group were born with cancer-linked genetic mutations that current tests can detect."

The article is entitled: "Cancer Care Expands to Include Genetic Testing." It's really interesting that only 10%, such a small group, have family history of cancer. And, as you saw, less than 10% are born with cancer-linked genetic mutations. This is the group current genetic testing attempts to identify.

More on this later.