Disease of Gene, not Genetics, do you get it?

disease of the gene -
100% of all cancers are disease of the gene (DNA/genome). It goes like this: cancer-causing chemical or physical force (radon, diesel fume, formaldehyde furniture), hits particular cells of your body (e.g. some epithelial cell), triggers GENE mutation - somatic mutation, develops into pre-cancer or "initiated" cancer cell, takes many years to get promoted into full blown adenocarcinoma.

Up to 1-5% of all cancers (and 0% of all lung cancers as we speak today) are disease of the GENETICS (heredity). In such cases, the initial mutation was inherited from GENETIC parents - germline mutations. These mutations are very easily detected, because they are present in every cell of the body so a blood test can tell if one is a carrier or not. Once you inherited such "cancer gene" mutation, e.g. BRCA mutation in breast cancer, FAP in colon cancer, you are a lot closer to getting cancer than people who do not carry the mutation. Not surprisingly, these GENETIC (hereditary) cancers can arise in very young patients, even in their 20s.

Above is very simplified view of mutation and cancer. Actual carcinogenesis process can be a lot more complicated, involving the accumulation of multiple mutations - basis of two-hit or multi-hit carcinogenesis theories. While genetic/ inherited cancers arise in relatively younger age, un-inherited / "acquired" cancers can also happen to very young people, all they have to do to accomplish that is to undergo the multiple somatic cell mutations at earlier age - with so many and ever increasing cancer causing chemicals in our environment, in our living quarters, and in our food supplies, what's not possible? When you are unknowingly breathing in powerful airborne carcinogen such as formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, benzene or diesel exhaust, day in day out, how long is it going to take to multi-hit your lung cell's DNA to produce stage 4 lung cancer? Not very long, I am afraid.

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"It runs in her family genes" "她家基因有问题" - the most ridiculous most unscientific most misleading statement you can ever get. Neither English or Chinese languages are fit to express the black& white truth about somatic gene disease and germline trait inheritance.

Take home message - cancer is always disease of genes, and is occassionally disease of genetics (heredity).

所有跟帖： 

• Can mister Nankingfriend or someone help re-write this in Chines -jaydad- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/18/2011 postreply 20:52:26

• Do not agree with you this time. -Stonypoint- ♂ (749 bytes) () 09/18/2011 postreply 21:11:16

• broad definition of gene mutation -jaydad- ♂ (689 bytes) () 09/18/2011 postreply 22:46:33

• In cancers caused by HPV, there are not cellular gene mutations -stonypoint- ♂ (318 bytes) () 09/19/2011 postreply 13:57:37