Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
Seemingly you have a higher risk if a close relative has cancer at an early age eg. before 50's, then it is probably recommended to get yearly checkups
For example My dad died of colon cancer last year at 68 and I was told, checkups every 4 years was ok for me but if he had the cancer when he was younger say in his 40's they said I would have had to have yearly checkups.
You doctor would give you the best advice
Take care
Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
Thank you for the reply. I had a scope done 3-yrs ago and will most likely schedule one this year. I am staying on top of the check ups. Because of my family history, I don't know if my chances are i.e., 40% or 50% greater than individuals with no history of cancer - even though I watch what I am doing?
Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
my mother died three days ago of stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasized. from what i've been able to read so far, your diet does play a role. anything low in fiber and high in starches and fats can apparently contribute. my mother was the most fantastic Southern-fried, butter-soaked cook you'd ever meet. So something to think about/research. I certainly am...
The following user gives a hug of support to araorun: Vintage Wine (06-04-2011)
Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
Vintage Wine:
Was your mother's tumor tested for microsatellite instability? Hospitals usually preserve samples of the tumors they remove and it might be possible to test it. If it tests microsatellite (MSI) high there is a good (90%) probability of it being genetic; and if it microsatellite low it probably isn't. 59 is young to succumb to colon cancer; there is a good possibility that your mother's cancer is genetic in origin. Have other relatives had colon, pancreatic, endometrial, ovarian or other gastric cancers?
You should consider genetic testing - unfortunately Lynch colon cancer can develop in as little as 1 - 2 years from a polyp, rather than the 7 to 10 years a random colon cancer takes to develop. There is a more intense surveillance schedule for Lynch cancers than random colon cancer. I have a colonoscopy every year, urine cytology every year (renal/ureter pelvic) cancers are also at increased risk with Lynch and an upper endoscopy every 4 years, to check out the rest of the upper GI tract.
Tom:
If you haven't already consulted a genetic counselor, I would strongly recommend that you do so. Your history is practically diagnostic for Lynch. The dietary and exercise measures that may help prevent a random colon cancer, are not applicable to colon cancer due to an error in a mismatch repair gene (genetic cancer). If so, colonoscopies every 4 years may be too far apart.
Leslie
Lynch Syndrome PMS2 mutation
1995 Stage I endometrial cancer, TAH BSO
2003 Colon cancer Stage III right hemicolectomy, 6 mos. 5FU & Leucovorin
Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
Leslie:
I don't know if that's what my mom's was or if they even tested for that back then (early 90's). Her mother died of colon cancer but it was on the right side, as my mom's was on her left side. My grandmother was diagnosed at age 86. My mom's paternal aunt also died of colon cancer but again, she was up in her 70's when diagnosed. My mom's brother got a colonoscopy the summer my mom died and he had something like 40 polyps...all of which were non-cancerous, but of course, left untreated, would've been dangerous.
My mother's was probably due to her diet and stress. She ate alot of fat and that was usually when she was stressed. While she ate raw vegetables regularly, she didn't take enough calcium (as the medical field now stressed how important calcium is for the colon.) She also didn't go to the doctor when she began having problems. She had been diagnosed with IBS a few years earlier and she just assumed that her problems were IBS related. By the time she was diagnosed, it had already spread to her liver. She had experimental treatments at MD Anderson which stopped the cancerous growth in her liver but not her colon.
Last edited by Vintage Wine; 06-05-2011 at 02:01 PM.
Re: what are the chances I will get cancer if my mom, dad and brother died from it?
IBS itself is a risk factor for developing colon cancer. People with IBS are usually screened every few years because a percentage of them will develop colon cancer and with IBS you won't know if bleeding is from the IBS or if something else (i.e. a polyp) has developed.
