Dr. Gallinger answers: What is the current status of research for determining the percentage of pancreatic cancers that are inherited through our genes? About 10% of pancreas cancer appears to have a strong hereditary component, meaning there are one or more additional cases in the family. Patients with these types of family histories may benefit from seeing a genetic counsellor who will review the family history, help confirm whether there is a strong likelihood of a genetic mutation being passed down through multiple generations, and sometimes advise genetic testing. A few genes are known to be associated with these families including the BRCA genes (BRCA1 and more commonly BRCA2), p16, and PALB2 genes. A number of research groups are diligently searching for additional genes that may cause the fraction of Familial Pancreas Cancer that are not caused by the aforementioned genes. Dr Steven Gallinger is a liver/pancreas/biliary (HPB) surgical oncologist and member of the GI Site Cancer Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and at Toronto General Hospital. talkabouthealth/what-is-the-current-status-of-research-for-determining-the-percentage-of-pancreatic-cancers-that-are-inherited-through-our-genes
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 18:33:13 +0000
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