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It’s All Relative But for most of us, the odds of developing an inherited form of cancer or heart disease is about as likely as winning the lottery and being struck by lightning on the same day. To grasp how unlikely it is that you will inherit one of these diseases, think of your genetic risk in terms of a fire hazard, Dr. Miller says. If the house down the street is in flames, you probably wouldn’t abandon your home. But if the fire is next door and flames are leaping onto your roof, it’s time to take emergency measures. “For the great majority of us, genetically predisposed cancers and heart disease are fires that are burning well down the block,” Dr. Miller says. “Only a small number of individuals are at risk.” But if it appears that your family is prone to a particular disease, it may be worth taking some precautions, Dr. Myers says. “If my mother or father had died of a heart attack, or my brother died of a stroke at a young age, I’d certainly tell my doctor about it. I’d also t
