Other types of inherited cancer

There are some rare hereditary conditions associated with an increased risk of less common types of cancer, including:

• von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, which causes an increased risk of kidney cancers and other tumours
• multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), which causes a susceptibility to a rare type of thyroid cancer (medullary) and to cancers of the adrenal glands
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which causes a susceptibility to several cancers, including breast cancers, sarcomas, brain tumours and leukaemias. Affected familes often have several people in the family affected at a young age (children, adolescents or young adults).

If you or a member of your family are affected by a rare genetic condition, you may want to get in touch with the Genetic Interest Group| for information and support on coping with rare genetic disorders. We also have information on rare cancers.

If you would like to know more contact our cancer support specialists.

Scientists and doctors also believe that genetic factors may be involved in causing a susceptilbility in to testicular, pancreatic, prostate, stomach and kidney cancer in a small number of people. If some of these cancers occur together in a family with bowel cancer, they might be connected to HNPCC|.

BRCA1 and BRCA2|, the breast cancer genes, have been linked to cases of prostate and pancreatic cancer in some families. But HNPCC and BRCA1 and BRCA2 don't account for all the cases where one of the above cancers occurs in a number of family members. So it's likely that there are other genes which are responsible for the situations where two or more members of the same family get the same type of cancer. Researchers are working to identify these genes.

It's highly unlikely that one case of testicular, pancreatic, prostate, stomach or kidney cancer significantly increases other family members' risk of developing the same cancer. There is only reason to assume that an inherited gene might be involved if at least two relatives develop the same type of cancer.

There may be screening available for some of these cancers. if you are worried about a lot of cases of these (or other) cancers in your family, you should talk to your GP.

If there is the possibility of a genetic factor playing a role in your family, you may be able to take part in a research study. You will also be told what symptoms to look out for to identify cancer (if it occurs) as early as possible.