I have heard people say that cancer is genetic. Does that mean that all cancers are inherited?
No. Only about 5-10% of all cancer is inherited. Most cancers are due to an accumulation of genetic mistakes in our cells over the course of time. This is part of the natural aging process, which is why most cancers occur at older ages. The majority of people who develop cancer acquire genetic mistakes over the course of a lifetime. In inherited forms of cancer, a genetic mistake, or mutation is carried in reproductive cells that are passed on from one generation to the next. A small number of individuals are at risk to inherit a genetic mistake from a parent that may predispose them to develop cancer.
