26.2 Step Mini MarathonKnowing your risk for hereditary cancer
Hereditary cancer risk is often hidden. We help people find it early, understand it, and act on it.
Too many people never learn that their cancer risk may be inherited, that genetic testing may be available and right for them, and that knowing early can change the decisions they and their doctors make. We exist to close that gap — and to remove the barriers of fear, cost, access, and confusion that stop people from taking the next step.
of all cancers may be caused by inherited genetic changes — and most people who carry that risk never find out they have it.
What is hereditary cancer risk?
Cancer itself is not passed from parent to child. What can be inherited is a change in a gene that raises the chance of certain cancers developing. Someone who carries one of these changes has a higher-than-average risk, and the change can be passed down to children who inherit it.
Carrying an inherited change does not mean cancer is certain. As the National Cancer Institute puts it, it means your risk is increased, not that you will definitely get cancer. Well-known examples include changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, Lynch syndrome, and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).
The cancers most often linked to hereditary risk include breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colorectal (including Lynch syndrome), and prostate. The point is not to frighten anyone — it is that when this risk is present, knowing early changes what you and your doctors are able to do about it.
We are not medical providers. This page is educational and is not medical advice. For any medical question or decision about your own risk or testing, please talk with your own doctor or a genetic counselor.
Could hereditary cancer run in your family?
Certain patterns in a family's health history can be a sign that a cancer risk may be inherited. The National Cancer Institute points to signs like these:
- Cancer diagnosed at a young age (for example, colorectal cancer before age 50)
- The same or related cancers in several close relatives
- One person who has had more than one type of cancer
- Cancer in both organs of a pair, such as both breasts or both kidneys
- Rare cancers, such as male breast cancer
- A relative already known to carry an inherited, cancer-related gene change
- An ancestral background known to carry higher rates of specific inherited changes
This is not a diagnosis. If any of these sound like your family, it may be worth talking with a doctor or a genetic counselor about whether genetic testing is right for you.
What genetic testing can — and can't — tell you
Genetic testing looks for specific inherited changes linked to higher cancer risk. It usually starts with genetic counseling: a conversation about your family history, whether testing makes sense for you, and what different results would and wouldn't mean.
What it can open up
- Peace of mind if no harmful change is found
- Earlier or more frequent screening if a change is found
- Options to lower risk, from medication to preventive surgery
- Treatment guidance for someone already diagnosed
- Information that helps relatives understand their own risk
What to weigh
- Results are not always clear-cut (a "variant of uncertain significance")
- Learning you carry a change can be stressful
- A positive result may mean added follow-up and cost
- A genetic counselor can help you think it through before you decide
Benefits and considerations summarized from the National Cancer Institute genetic testing fact sheet.
The barriers we work to remove
Knowing your risk should be simpler than it is. Fear, cost, access, and plain confusion stop people from taking the next step. Lowering those barriers is the work:
Fear & the unknown
Straight talk and real stories make a frightening topic feel approachable, so people don't avoid it.
Cost & access
We point people toward affordable, trustworthy testing pathways and support the organizations that help make testing more accessible.
Confusion
Clear, plain-language information about what risk actually means and what a sensible next step looks like.
Awareness. Empowerment. Action.
The same three words carry through everything we do — and echo the 26.2 steps.
Awareness
Help people understand hereditary cancer risk, family history, and why genetic testing matters.
Empowerment
Give people trusted information, lived stories, and expert voices so they can make informed choices.
Action
Encourage and support the next step — testing, a provider conversation, follow-up, or participation.
Questions people can ask their healthcare providers
Are all cancers inherited?
No. Most cancers are not. The National Cancer Institute estimates that up to 10% of all cancers may be caused by inherited genetic changes. Hereditary risk matters because, when it is present, knowing early changes what can be done.
If I inherit a gene change, will I definitely get cancer?
No. It means your risk is higher than average, not that cancer is certain. That is exactly why early knowledge is useful: it lets you and your doctors watch more closely and act sooner.
Who should consider genetic testing?
People with a personal or family history that raises a flag — cancer at a young age, the same cancer in several relatives, more than one cancer in one person, or a known gene change in the family. Clinical guidelines also point to certain diagnoses, such as ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, male breast cancer, or colorectal cancer before age 50. A genetic counselor can help you decide.
What happens in genetic counseling?
A trained counselor reviews your family history, explains whether testing is appropriate, and walks through what a positive, negative, or uncertain result would mean — medically and emotionally — before you decide anything.
What if I don't know much about my family history?
That's common, and it doesn't rule anything out. Share what you do know; a doctor or genetic counselor can help you figure out whether testing makes sense from there.
None of this is a diagnosis. A pattern in your family history is a reason to ask questions, not a verdict.
If any of these sound like your family, it may be worth talking with a doctor or a genetic counselor about whether genetic testing is right for you.
And one fact many people don’t realize: if there is an inherited mutation, a parent has a 50-50 chance of passing this on to their children.
Ready to take the next step?
Awareness becomes action when you do something with it — get informed, talk to a provider, or take 26.2 steps with us.
Medical information on this page is drawn from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov) and is a draft pending review by our medical advisor. Figures and wording may change after that review.