My grandmother had ovarian cancer. What is my chance (statistically) of getting ovarian cancer, too?

October 15, 2007 – 10:16 pm | posted in Women's Health / OBGYN

Actually, my grandmother didn’t have ovarian cancer. But all her sisters, as well as her mother, did. She had a hysterectomy, and in her 70’s ended up with stomach cancer instead. Her daughter (my aunt) hasn’t been diagnosed with caner–yet–and she’s in her late 40’s. I’m 20.

I know that ovarian cancer is very genetic. I would like to know my chances of getting the gene, and also what precautions I should take. I would also like to know how doctors test for the cancer/test for the gene.

I do plan on seeing a doctor soon, so don’t worry about advising me to see the doc… but I would like to know a bit about it before I go in so I can ask the right questions.

Also– She was my dad’s mother, not my mom’s mother. Does that make a difference? Can men pass on the gene?

According to what I’ve read, only 10% of cases come from genetic, with 90% occurring sporadically. So, that’s good!
The precaustions to take are getting checked yearly and making sure that your OB/GYN knows about your family history.

Here’s the source that I found:
http://ovariancancer.jhmi.edu/hereditary…

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