Shortly after I was diagnosed with prostate cancer I discovered that my sons were at increased risk for prostate cancer because I had it. My father was also diagnosed with prostate cancer.
My wife has diabetes and it is common in her family. Another genetic trait that can be passed on.
As it turns out, we can pass on all sorts of conditions, diseases, and predispositions to our kids. Does that mean we shouldn't have kids? Probably not. I have made sure that my three sons have had prostate cancer screening and one of them found he had a higher-than-usual PSA at age 38.
I hope none of my children get prostate cancer, diabetes, arthritis, or any of the other conditions they may inherit. And I hope none of the grandkids do either. I can encourage them to live healthy, get checkups, and pay attention to symptoms. The rest is up to them.
Maybe in another generation or two there will be medical breakthroughs that allow everybody to avoid genetically inherited diseases. In the meantime we all take our chances. I don't actually feel guilty but I wish my sons weren't at increased risk because of me. If I knew when I was 20 what I found out at 63 would I have even had kids? I don't know for sure but I probably would still have fathered a gaggle of kids.
Life is unpredictable, strange, and amazing.
axman
2 comments:
That's okay, dad. I don't blame you.
From your still cancer-free son, Sean
About 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are reported to be hereditary. In these cases, the disease run in the families and directly results from mutated genes inherited from a parent. Genetic cancer testing has become a popular means of knowing whether or not you have cancer in your genes. But before you go for such a test, it is important to have a basic understanding about the test and its consequences.
First of all, a candidate must undergo intensive genetic counseling before taking genetic testing for breast cancer. This will be an educational session where the pros and cons of genetic cancer testing will be explained to the candidate.
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