Typically, lung cancer is not an inherited disease. It is caused by smoking, long-term exposure to radon or other chemicals in their environment for most of the patients. But, this exposure leads to mutations in the genes that control the cell growth. A small number of lung cancers are linked to genes. Genes are the pieces of DNA that instruct how the body works. Oncogenes are genes that help cells to grow and divide. There are tumor suppressor genes that stop cells from dividing or make them die off when no longer needed. Genes are responsible for controlling how your cells grow, divide or die.
Although smoking remains the primary cause behind lung cancer, things in the environment and genes can also raise your risk. One has more likely chance to get this cancer when your parent or siblings had lung cancer in comparison to someone without family history of lung cancer. The overall risk of getting lung cancer is still very low and having parent or sibling with lung cancer does not mean you will get the disease. It is always good to know your family history and discuss with your healthcare professional. If lung cancer runs into the generations, genes may not be the only reason and shared environmental factors could also be a part of risk.
Over the period of time and course of studies, it has been found that certain inherited mutations increase the risk of developing small cell lung cancer. Those who harbor these mutations are more likely to respond to therapies in comparison to those that exploit defects in DNA repair pathways. The impact that genetic factors could cause lung cancer risk has not been the core area of scientists as their impact on cancer susceptibility is often overshadowed by influence of smoking and tobacco exposure.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only.
Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter today and never miss out an update!