Hi Chasing----rainbows and thank you for your post.

I am sorry to read about how your mum and aunt were affected by cancer. I can see how this may be a cause of concern for you.

When cancer is in the family, people often assume that this greatly increases their risk of developing it, but this isn't necessarily so. Although the genes we inherit may influence our risk, this may not be by very much. No one is risk free and the risk of cancer increases for all of us as we get older. This is quite a complicated topic and it might be useful to look at our section explaining genes and inherited cancer risk on our webpage.

If this is something that you are concerned about the best person for your to talk this through with would be your GP as they will can go through your family history and refer you to a genetics counsellor if necessary.

There are lifestyle factors that we can all follow to help reduce our risk of developing cancer.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards

Tina