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Types of Hereditary Cancers

Learn how gene mutations can lead to cancer, what types of cancer may be hereditary and how parents can pass inherited mutations to their children.

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Hereditary Cancer and Genetic Testing > Hereditary Cancer > Types of Hereditary Cancers

Is Cancer Genetic? Inherited Mutations and Hereditary Cancer How Are Mutations Inherited? Signs of an Inherited Mutation Types of Hereditary Cancers

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Cancers Linked to Inherited Mutations

Cancers caused by an are called hereditary cancers. The remaining cancers - those not caused by an - are called sporadic cancers. Most cancers are sporadic, but overall, about 10-20% of cancers are believed to be caused by an .

Some cancer types and associated inherited mutations are listed in the table below; note that this is not a complete list.

Cancer Type	Lifetime Risk with a BRCA1 Mutation
Breast (in women and people assigned female at birth)	ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, CHEK2, PALB2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, STK11, TP53
Breast (in men and people assigned male at birth)	BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2
Colorectal	APC, BMPR1A, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, PMS2, POLE, PTEN, SMAD4, STK11, TP53
Endometrial	BRCA1*, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, PTEN, STK11, TP53
Fallopian tube, ovarian and primary peritoneal	ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PALB2, PMS2**, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D
Gastric	APC, CDH1, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH**, STK11
Melanoma	ACD, BAP1 (melanoma and uveal melanoma), BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, CDK4, MC1R, MBD4 (uveal melanoma), MITF, PALB2 (uveal), POT1, PTEN, RB1, TERF2IP, TERT, TP53, XP genes
Pancreatic exocrine	ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PALB2
Pancreatic neuroendocrine	CDKN1B, MEN1, NF1, TET, VHL
Prostate	BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, EPCAM, HOXB13, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, TP53
Thyroid	RET (medullary thyroid cancer); APC, FOXE1, HABP2, PTEN
Although the increased risk is small, BRCA1 mutations have been linked to a rare and aggressive type of endometrial cancer. *More research is needed to learn the risk for people with mutations in this gene.

Key Facts about Hereditary Cancer

Mutations in different genes increase the risk for different types of cancers.
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome () refers to mutations in and , which increase the risk for breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and other cancers.
refers to mutations in , , , and , which increase the risk for colorectal, endometrial and other cancers.

Last updated February 08, 2022