When someone in your family has cancer, the whole family is in an emergency. However, there are cases where there are more than two people. When two cancer patients occur in the immediate family, such as a parent, brother, or sister, the intensity of the shock is enormous. I think it’s due to heredity, of course, but other influences are also significant. What risk factors lurk?
◆ Same diet – eating habits… When the family’s eating habits become similar
About 5% of gastric cancer has a family history. If your parents have stomach cancer, your children should also take care of their stomach, including regular gastroscopy. Besides heredity, there are other very important factors. It’s the same eating habits. Families living together eat the same food. If you share a diet for decades, your gastrointestinal health will be similar. If the father makes the food salty because he likes salty food, the children will also become accustomed to salty food from an early age. It is well known that salty and burnt foods continuously irritate the gastric mucosa and adversely affect the development of cancer.
◆ Do you still eat stew together? Helicobacter pylori infection
Helicobacter pylori is one of the risk factors for gastric cancer. It adversely affects the gastric mucosa and eventually causes cancer to sprout. In the past, there was a culture of eating a stew with a spoon at home or at work. After being infected with Helicobacter pylori outside, it can be passed on to family members. It has improved a lot now, but it is a dietary habit that must be corrected. Side dishes should also be served on individual plates. If you stir side dishes with chopsticks in and out of your mouth, there is a high risk of transferring Helicobacter pylori to others.
◆ Two or three patients with liver cancer in the family… Hepatitis B virus effects
Liver cancer is also a representative cancer that occurs in two or more people in a family. If one of your immediate family members has liver cancer, the whole family must take an emergency. Other family members may also have liver cancer risk factors. Hepatitis B virus accounts for 72% of liver cancer and hepatitis C virus accounts for 12%. Alcohol is 9%. In the middle-aged and older, there were many cases of infection with the hepatitis B virus from the mother at birth. Vaccination is now mandatory in infants, but many older people have the hepatitis B virus. Be sure to vaccinate, and those carrying the virus should be conscious of liver cancer and have regular check-ups.
◆ Similar lifestyles of families… Enjoying late night food, lack of exercise, obesity, etc.
Families living together often have similar lifestyle habits. If one person orders a late-night meal for delivery, it is often eaten together. I hate exercise, so I spend a lot of time watching TV or searching on my smartphone. Even though they know that sitting for a long time is bad for their health, they don’t like to move. This can lead to weight gain due to lack of exercise and exposure to the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. If one member of the family leads the exercise, the other family members can also be healthy.
◆ Breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer… hereditary cancer
Among cancers with a strong family history, breast cancer is well known, but pancreatic cancer is lesser known. Pancreatic cancer is a family history of three generations: grandfather, father, and grandson. For breast cancer, if a patient in your immediate family, such as a mother or sister, comes along, you should thoroughly check yourself and consult with a professional doctor. Colorectal cancer is also hereditary, so you need to pay attention to examinations such as colonoscopy. People with a family history should also change their lifestyle habits, such as quitting smoking, drinking alcohol, and exercising. A family history is the strongest risk signal for the disease.
Reporter Kim Yong-eok ecok@kormedi.com
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