Researchers analyzed families with a pattern of sarcomas, breast cancer, and other cancers occurring in young patients. They found that cancer developed in an autosomal dominant pattern, with 79% of affected individuals diagnosed before age 45. These families also had higher rates of brain tumors, leukemia, and adrenocortical carcinoma. The variety of cancers suggests unique underlying mechanisms, unlike those seen in hereditary cancers affecting single organs. Identifying lab markers could help diagnose high-risk individuals and families and shed light on shared cancer susceptibility.

Read Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3409256/