Surviving Cancer Is In The Genes

The ability to fight off cancer is passed from parent to child in their genes, research shows. The life-giving inheritance emerged in a study of the health of millions of families. It showed that children whose parents live for at least ten years after being diagnosed with breast, prostate, bowel or lung cancer are more likely to survive the disease themselves. Unfortunately, this also means that children of those who have lost their battle against cancer are more likely to die if they develop the same form of the disease. The findings held true even when other factors known to influence cancer survival, including age and wealth, were taken into account. Writing in the medical journal The Lancet, the researchers...