title: Genetic Epidemiology--science and ethics on familial cancers.
abstract: Genetic epidemiology provides data on cancer etiology, familial risks and genotype-specific risks. These data are useful for clinical counselling and gene identification. The studies require large, unbiased sample sizes and collaboration between research teams, nationally and internationally. A recent study on Nordic twins suggests that in colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, the inherited component ranges between 27 and 42%, far in excess of the known susceptibility genes. The data from the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, particularly on second cancers, also suggest that a main genetic component in cancer is polygenic. The results have implications for design of genetic studies and for clinical counselling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden. kari.hemminki@cnt.ki.se
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hemminki
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003043:Cocarcinogenesis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004777:Environment; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D009386:Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D009679:Nuclear Family; D010290:Parents; D012042:Registries; D012306:Risk; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D018433:Twin Studies as Topic