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Lymphoma Information Network » Forums » General Topics » Hodgkin's Lymphoma Topics » History of cancer in the family

History of cancer in the family

I have some questions about cancer being genetic. My father is 54 and is having chemo for hodgkins lymphoma. My mother had breast cancer but is now fine after surgery. I am a 22 year old female. How worried should I be?
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Submitted by shana on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 21:17.

Birdie,

I am not an expert on genetics, however my understanding is that having close relatives (esp. parents or grandparents) with cancer increases your chances of being diagnosed yourself. My best advice would be to share this info with your doctor, if you haven't already, and to be diligent about your regular checkups. I have many family members (not parents but extended family) that were diagnosed with cancer too, so I also keep that in mind.

Best wishes to you,
Shana

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Submitted by apple2 on Thu, 01/08/2009 - 17:53.
I agree with Shana. Having cancer in your family does increase your risk but if you go in for regular checkups and monitor your health, God forbid, if anything happens, many cancers are treatable if they are diagnosed early. Don't feel down about this but just be proactive. all the best.
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Since the early 1970s, incidence rates for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have nearly doubled. Improved diagnosis has contributed greatly to the increase as doctors better understand cancer of lymphocytes and can distinguish it from other diseases.