Cancer Risk
Read about different genes that are linked to hereditary cancer, their associated risks and guidelines for screening, preventing and treating cancers in people with inherited mutations in these genes.Stay up to date on research and information
Sign Up for FORCE NewslettersCancer Risks Associated with an Inherited Mutation
If you have tested positive for a mutation, we recommend consulting with a genetics expert who can assess your personal and family history of cancer, and can help you decide on a plan to manage your cancer risk.
People with an inherited have a greatly increased lifetime risk of developing several types of cancer, with about an 85 percent lifetime risk for developing any cancer. The risks for cancer tend to happen at a younger age compared to people who do not have a mutation. Note that when we use "men" and "women" we are referring to the sex you were assigned at birth.
Cancer type | Lifetime risk with a mutation | Lifetime risk in general population |
---|---|---|
Breast (female) | 40 - 60% | 12.5% |
Endometrial | 25 - 30% | 3.1% |
Thyroid cancer (and benign thyroid growths) | up to 38% | 1.0% |
Kidney | up to 35% | 1-2% |
Colorectal | 10 - 20% | 2.4% |
Melanoma | 6% | 2.5% |
It is important to note that cancer risks are estimates over the course of a person's lifetime. Your lifetime risk and risk over the next five years will vary depending on:
- current age
- sex assigned at birth
- specific mutation
- personal and family health history
- diet, exercise, lifestyle and other factors
FORCE offers many peer support programs for people with inherited mutations.
- Our Message Boards allow people to connect with others who share their situation. Once registered, you can post on the Diagnosed With Cancer board to connect with other people who have been diagnosed.
- Our Peer Navigation Program will match you with a volunteer who shares your mutation and situation.
- Our moderated, private Facebook group allows you to connect with other community members 24/7.
- Check out our virtual and in-person support meeting calendar.
- Join one of our Zoom community group meetings.
The following are studies enrolling people with inherited mutations.
- NCT04042831: in Treating Patients With Biliary Tract Cancer With Aberrant Repair Gene Mutations. This study will look at how well the drug works in treating people who have been diagnosed with biliary tract (bile duct) cancer that has spread to other places in the body and who also have an inherited or tumor mutation in certain genes, including .
- NCT04586270: A Study of TAS0612 for Treating People with Advanced or Cancers. The purpose of this study is to see if TAS0612 is safe in participants with advanced or solid tumor cancer.
- NCT04094675: Sirolimus for With Colon Polyposis. This study is looking at the effect of the drug sirolimus on the number of colon in patients with and polyposis over a 1 year period.
- NCT02665195: Registry Of MultiPlex Testing (PROMPT). PROMPT is an online research registry. The goal of PROMPT is to help researchers to better understand the risks that are linked to mutations in less well-studied genes.