India, Sept. 30 -- When a man discusses prostate cancer risk, he may mention an affected father, brother, or uncle. However, his mother's ovarian cancer or his sister's breast cancer may seem unrelated. Yet these diagnoses can point to an inherited susceptibility that matters to him too. Certain inherited changes in genes such as BRCA2 increase the risk of prostate cancer along with other cancers. They can come from either parent.

Looking only at male relatives or the father's side of the family can therefore leave important gaps in a family's medical history. "Identifying inherited cancer mutations can influence treatment and screening and guide the medical attention relatives need", Dr Thangarajan Rajkumar, Director of Research Oncolog...