Question: I have a family history of lung cancer – both my mother and grandmother were diagnosed with the disease. Am I at greater risk for lung cancer because of genetics?   

The role that genetics plays in determining someone’s lung cancer risk is not fully understood. While most cases of lung cancer are not related to inherited genetic risk, recent research showed that approximately 8-15% of the people who receive a lung cancer diagnosis carry hereditary mutations that are known to increase cancer risk. Genetic risk is most likely to play a role in lung cancer for people who are young, female and have never smoked.

GO2 for Lung Cancer’s medical research institute, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), has been investigating lung cancer’s hereditary risks for a long time. ALCMI’s INHERIT T790M study with Dana Farber Cancer Institute studied one specific inherited genetic mutation in EGFR lung cancer. This study, the “Genomics of Young Lung Cancer,” showed that lung cancer in young people has a different biological profile than other lung cancer groups. To investigate this even further, ALCMI is currently enrolling participants in their “Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer” study to better understand the underlying causes of lung cancer in people under 40 years old, including inherited/biological, environmental and occupational factors.

It is important to remember that people who inherit an increased risk for lung cancer inherit just that – the risk – and not the cancer itself. Not all people who inherit gene mutations will go on to receive a lung cancer diagnosis. Additionally, if lung cancer runs in your family, a shared environment may be the cause, rather than shared genes. You can improve your own risks for lung cancer and other diseases by knowing your family history and sharing it with your doctors, and by making good health choices, including quitting smoking.

We’re confident that continued investments in research will help us better understand lung cancer’s genetic risks.

If you are between the ages of 50 and 80 and have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking, you may benefit from annual CT screening for lung cancer. Additional risk factors, such as a family history, should be discussed with your doctor who may recommend elective screening outside of these guidelines.

In each issue of Your Community, we will be answering your questions about lung cancer and/or GO2 programs and services, questions about screening, treatment types and advancements, clinical trials, support services, and the lung cancer community. To submit your question, please email it to yourcommunity@go2.org.

Please note that the information included in any published answers is for educational pursuit only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult their healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Nothing from GO2 for Lung Cancer should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion.