Estimate YOUR Genetic Cancer Risk - YOUR
Risks for Eleven Different Types of Cancer Stomach, Colorectum, Pancreas, Lung, Breast, Uterus, Overy, Prostate, Bladder,
and Leukemia How Much of YOUR Cancer Risk is Heredity and
How Much is Habits?
If a member of your family contracted cancer, what are your
risks of also becoming a victim of cancer?
Many people overreact -- become fatalistic -- and assume that there
is little they can do. Other people -- those who don't have a family
history of cancer-- may assume that cancer is not likely to strike them.
Both positions are wrong. While heredity does play a major
role with regard to some cancers, it plays only a small role with regard
to others. And with regard to all cancers, the role of bad habits
-- like smoking -- is more important than heredity.
So even if there is a history of cancer in your family, you can still
do a lot to reduce your risk of cancer. And if cancer doesn't
run in your family, you are still at major risk if you engage in a wide
variety of bad habits.
Until recently, no one knew what role heredity (your genes) played in
causing cancer, and what the relative role of risky behaviors like smoking
was. But a new study now provides us with reliable estimates of
the relatives risks created by heredity vs. bad habits. The information
in this very important study makes it possible for you to estimate what
your
risks are, given your family history.
For several cancers, heredity plays almost no role. Even
if family members contracted these forms of cancer, your risk of contracting
them is no higher. On the other hand, at least four major cancers
have a genetic component of over 30%. If a member of your family
had one of those cancers, you should be aware of this major added risk
so that you can get the correct medical diagnostic tests and adopt
appropriate healthy living habits to reduce that risk.
As a public service, Action on Smoking and Health
(ASH), a 36-year old legal-action charitable organization entirely supported
by tax-deductible contributions, has put together a page with information
about this new study.
This document can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.
Please note, however, that this information is available only to
member-supporters of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). To find
out how you can become a member of ASH on-line, and to obtain access
to this and other valuable information for members as well as several
special gifts, please click
here to learn the many benefits of joining ASH on-line.
Once you join -- which you can do conveniently over the Internet
-- you will receive by e-mail the user name and password you need to unlock
this valuable information. Your other gifts will be sent to you
by mail.
Please don't hesitate. Your contribution to join ASH is
fully tax deductible.
Once you have become a member of ASH you can access the information
by clicking on the following web site: ASH's Genetic Cancer Risk
Page
Presented as a public service by Action
on Smoking and Health (ASH)
2013 H Street, N.W., Wash., DC 20006, Tel: (202) 659-4310
ASH, founded in 1968, is the national legal-action
antismoking and nonsmokers' rights organization which helped ban
cigarette commercials, started the modern nonsmokers' rights movement,
pioneered using legal action against smoking, developed novel legal
theories to protect children from tobacco smoke at home and in cars,
get lower health insurance rates for nonsmokers, fought tobacco
subsidies, and much much more.
ASH is
entirely supported by tax-deductible
contributions.
Material on this page may be freely reproduced, distributed, and
circulated,
but please credit ASH, and include ASH's web address: http://ash.org
