Study Shows How Family Health History Can Affect Cancer Risk

Your family health history plays an important role in determining your personal cancer risk. You may feel uneasy asking about certain health conditions with your family members. But, talking to them can help you find out if there are steps you can take to prevent and screen for certain cancers that may be of greater risk to you and your family. 

One example of a health problem in families that might increase a person’s cancer risk is male infertility, or the inability to father a child.  According to a recent study published in Human Reproduction, people who are related to men who have had infertility may be at higher risk for some cancers.

For males, infertility can be caused by having no or very little sperm in the semen. The study compared relatives of men who have had infertility to relatives of men who are able to have children. The researchers found:

People related to men with no sperm in their semen were more likely to develop:

• Bone and joint cancers
• Hodgkin lymphoma
• Soft tissue sarcoma
• Thyroid cancer
• Uterine cancer, also called endometrial cancer

Relatives of men with very little sperm in their semen were more likely to develop:

• Bone and joint cancers
• Testicular cancer
• Colon cancer

“The study provides evidence that infertility in men may be linked to an elevated familial cancer risk. By leveraging comprehensive population pedigree data, we can better understand potential genetic or environmental factors contributing to these associations,” said Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) expert and the Leslye Heisler Associate Professor for Lung Cancer Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

Dr. Aggarwal added that the study also highlights the importance of knowing your family health history in making sure you receive the necessary cancer screening.

Why is it important to know your family health history?

Knowing your family health history helps your health care team see a bigger picture of your own health.

The notes about your family health history should include whether they have ever been diagnosed with cancer or other health problems that could increase the risk of cancer. Having this information can help you and your doctor better understand your personal cancer risk. It can also help your doctor know if:You could benefit from genetic testing. Genetic testing involves meeting with a genetic counselor and doing some tests that look for certain mutations (changes) in your genes. Some gene mutations may put you at higher risk for cancer.

• You could need more frequent screening for certain cancers.
• You may need to start screening earlier than someone with average risk.
• There are steps you can take to help prevent certain cancers.

If you don’t know your family history and can’t find information about your family’s health problems, talk to your health care team. You may still be able to have genetic counseling and testing that can help, depending on your situation.

Tips for collecting your family health history

Talking with your relatives about the health problems they have had is one way to start building your family health history. Your family history should include your close relatives. Talk to your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. If you have half-siblings, check with them, too. Experts say it’s best to go back 3 generations, if possible. If you can’t go back that far, then 2 generations will be helpful.

Some people may prefer to discuss this in person. Others may prefer talking about it through email or text. However, it is important to remember that not everyone may be comfortable sharing personal health information.

Creating a short family health history questionnaire for your relatives to complete could make it easier for them to share information. You may want to emphasize that even sharing a little bit of this information can be useful in knowing your health risks. It can even help future family generations.

You may want to ask your relatives questions like these:

• Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?
• If so, what kind of cancer were you diagnosed with?
• How old were you when you were diagnosed with cancer?
• Have you ever been told you have a condition that could increase cancer risk?
• Have you ever talked to a genetic counselor or had genetic testing? If so, what were the results?

Dr. Aggarwal is an Associate Editor on ASCO’s Patient Information Editorial Board.