Stage 4 lung cancer?

Question

I just found out my grandfather has stage 4 lung cancer and he starts chemo this week. (my grandfather on my dads side) and in 2005 my grandmother on my moms side died of lung cancer. My question is even though i know it was partly caused by there smoking is it genetic. I dont smoke but my aunts and uncle mother and father and brother do and I am worried they may be more seseptible because of the history.

Answer 1

Although we do believe that there is some hereditary component in most cancers, generally we don't suspect it in any given case unless the cancer appears early or without aparrent risk factors. In the case of your grandfather, if he was a heavy smoker and developed the cancer late in life, it's probably more of a result of the smoking and just age (which is a risk factor for pretty much everything) than any genetic predisposition to lung cancer.
That having been said, it's still a good idea to quit smoking before any of the numerous diseases that it can cause start...

Answer 2

Smoking and Hereditary are two very important and major factor for getting Lung Cancer.Tobacco smoking accounts for nearly 90% of all lung cancers. The risk of developing lung cancer is increased for smokers who start at a young age, and for those who have smoked for a long time. The risk also increases as more cigarettes are smoked, and when cigarettes with higher tar content are smoked. Smoking marijuana cigarettes is also a risk factor for lung cancer. These cigarettes have a higher tar content than tobacco cigarettes.

Instead of accumulating unnecessary fear please have attend Cancer detection centers and have the tests to ensure that you are not affected with the disease. You should go to your oncologist every year for evaluation. also get to know the exact symptoms from him and be watchful. Nothing will happen to you but we can not take any chances as CANCER IS STILL AND ENIGMA. Best of luck. -

Answer 3

Cancer is not all the times heriditory disease. Cancers are provoke by their abnormal oncogene regulation system. Certain cancers are heriditory only if the oncogenes are mutated. Oncogenes upregulation is affected by the certain environmental factors like smoking, UV radiation, X-ray, imbalanced DNA repair mechanism etc. So, if both of your relatives still do a lot smoking, it would disturb the oncogene regulatory system of the lung cells and on other hand, already they have certain set of mutated genes (we can infer that as their father got lung cancer). So, smoking will change the environment near the oncogene which result to cancer fast.. so, i advise them to quit smoking asap as it will favor the mutation in regulatory genes. Even I found certain cases in which people smoke a lot, even though they never get cancer or any other disease becuase their regulatory genes are very powerful and they can adopt any new changed environment and having self-controling and self-managing DNA repairing mechanism. Therefore, they are able to live without any cancer or any genetic disease.

Answer 4

They can't give him chemo because of a broken leg? Tough break and sorry to hear that SpaceMonkey. This sounds like one of those horrible email forwards where the 7 year old not only has lung cancer but also has a tumor from being beaten on the head and yet the little girl has time to send out emails begging for money so the doctors can heal her, and yet the doctors don't care enough that someone in her family beats her.

Answer 5

Yes I would think that they would be, but then I have heard of people having lung cancer that never smoked a day in their lives. I am sorry about your Grandfather.

Answer 6

You may be more susceptible on two counts. One because of the high family history of cancer on both sides of your family and second because of your exposure to second hand smoke since your parents and brother smoke. Why hasn't two close relatives with lung cancer scared the heebeejeebees out of them so the think about quiting smoking? Encourage them to quit for their health and for your health since you are at risk breathing in all that second hand smoke.

Answer 7

Yes, no matter what the cause, if there is a history of cancer in your family you are more susceptible to getting it. Please have regular check ups, with the advancement of medicine today it is possible that a cure could be just around the corner.

Answer 8

i would think that genes play a huge role, it doesn't necessarily seal your fate but it probably makes a difference

Answer 9

they should all get tested where there is smoke there is fire---second hand smoke is as bad if not worse GET TESTED!!!!!!