Unusual (? I dont know if it is unusual) amount of females in my family with cancer- what would you do?

[tiredemma]

My mum is one of 9 sisters.

All but one have either had treatment for or died from various cancers (two deaths- one from cervical cancer, one had malignant melanoma).

One has just been diagnosed with breast cancer (so thats three who have had treatment for breast cancer)

My mom had a hysterectomy a few years ago for something pre cancerous (as it was explained to me ) as did another aunt.

and one had non-hodgkins lymphoma about 20 years ago.

Im getting a bit paranoid. I know that differing types of cancer are not thought to be genetic ( I mean cervical not related to breast). But I cant help worrying that there is something not right.

I want to go to the GP but what can I say? That im paranoid???

Hi Tiredemma,
I can see that is pretty scary, but you are right - cervical cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, are not related to one another. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go and speak to your GP. Would regular breast screening or cervical screening help put your mind at rest?

My smears are all up to date.
Its the breast cancer one that worries me. I think that 3 sisters each getting breast cancer within 4 years of each other is pretty alarming.

I check my breasts all the time, but this seems to be pre-occupying me a bit.

As I understand it, breast cancer (pre-menopausal), ovarian cancer and certain forms of bowel cancer can be genetically linked. You could go to your GP to see if you can get a referral to be tested for a genetic link.

You can self refer to one of the family cancer clinics. They will take a detailed history and advise you of which tests they can offer. (I am presuming you are in the UK?)

this website has a link you can follow to see whether your family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer is something which flags up a potential worry about your risks. Obviously it can't tell you anything for certain, but you might find it either reassures you or makes it definitely worth getting referred to specialists who can test for the risky genes.

is it likely to be costly? (im a poor student still!)

You can get genetic testing done through the NHS, no cost involved.

Remember, since your mum and her sisters grew up together, there are also lots of environmental factors which might affect cancer rates which will have affected all of them. Those won't be applicable to you.

that website is really helpful. many thanks.

tiredemma, themadhouse might be able to help you. i'll alert her to this thread through another one she's on regularly.

I'm in the process of being screened for genetic factors as i was diagnosed with bc at 33, and there is oc in my family. bc and oc can be linked genetically.

I think that any GP would take your concerns seriously and I'd be surprised if you weren't referred for genetic counselling and testing.

thanks for that.

Im trying to get some balls to ring the surgery.

tiredemma, I can understand your concerns which I think are perfectly logical. Any GP worth their salt should be able to support you with this.
I lost my mum to gall bladder cancer 2 years ago - it is one of those cancers that you don't know you have until the very end when it is too late...mum died within a matter of weeks after her diagnosis. While her specialist said that it's not considered a genetically linked cancer, he suggested that if it was him in my shoes, he'd go for regular screening. I took this advice and went for a scan pretty much straight away and intend doing this every few years as advised. Having the screening is giving me some peace of mind and at least if there are any warning signs in the future of potential disease, I feel I'll be in a position to conquer it.

Best of luck.

tiredemma,

See your GP and ask if you could be referred to a clinical geneticist. If you are in or around Birmingham, that is probably the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. My friend is a consultant CG there and is great- this is exactly the type of thing that she deals with. You will usually be asked to fill out a very comprehensive family tree and illness history before you go to clinic.

The age of diagnosis is an important factor, particularly for breast cancers (premenopausal more likely to be genetic). There are also a few genetic syndromes which can be linked to cancers at various sites- these can be tested for.

I completely understand your concerns, and would be referring myself if I were in your shoes.