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Previous Volume 359:2143-2153 November 13, 2008 Number 20 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Rare, large families with multiple cases of early-onset cancer affecting several generations provide clear evidence that inherited factors are important causes of cancer.¹ The range of cancers, the age at onset, and the number of generations affected all suggest familial risk. In this review, I discuss the five cancers in the United States that are associated with the highest number of deaths: lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, numerous cancer susceptibility genes were identified, including those for breast and colorectal cancer (Glossary and Table 1). These genes confer high relative risks . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Lung Cancer

Breast Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer Susceptibility Genes in Health and Health Care Delivery

Source Information

From the Program in Cancer Genetics, Departments of Oncology and Human Genetics and Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Foulkes at the Program in Cancer Genetics, Gerald Bronfman Centre for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, McGill University, 546 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC H2W 1S6, Canada, or at william.foulkes@mcgill.ca.

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