Apollo Cancer Centres raise awareness on hereditary cancer

Apollo Cancer Centres (ACC) observed Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week with a call for genetic testing and proactive screening to reduce the burden of inherited cancers.

Hereditary cancers, caused by gene mutations passed across generations, account for 5%-10% of all cancers globally.

In India, over 10% of breast and ovarian cancers are linked to BRCA mutations, which are inherited changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that increase cancer risk, notably breast and ovarian cancers. Meanwhile, Lynch syndrome – an inherited genetic condition that increases the risk of developing various cancers, especially colorectal and endometrial cancers, due to mutations in DNA repair genes – is responsible for 2%-3% of colorectal cancers.

At ACC Chennai, four members of a family from Guwahati were diagnosed with Lynch syndrome-related cancers across two generations. The mother was treated for ovarian cancer in 2011, her daughter in 2012, and two more children for colon cancer in 2024. All are currently stable.

“These cases show that cancer is not only sporadic, but may also be inherited,” said Venkat P., senior consultant, Surgical Oncology, ACC Chennai. “Genetic counselling and regular screening are vital for high-risk families.”

Priya Kapoor, consultant, Surgical Oncology, added that clustering of cancers in families should not be dismissed as coincidence, and testing could enable early or preventive interventions.

Experts also said that screening and surveillance can be taken up as early as 25 years in high-risk families, enabling detection before cancers develop.