{"id":173343,"date":"2026-05-14T15:49:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=173343"},"modified":"2026-05-15T16:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:38:23","slug":"hereditary-cancer-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/health\/hereditary-cancer-in-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Knowing the Hereditary Risk of Developing Cancer Automatically Translate Into Prevention?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Knowing one’s genetic risk of developing cancer<\/a> can open the door to early detection, preventative surgeries, and screening for family members. However, a new Mexican study found that understanding this risk doesn’t necessarily lead people to take precautionary measures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research analyzed knowledge about hereditary cancer in 261 Mexican individuals carrying genetic variants associated with cancer, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. The work was carried out by researchers from the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubir\u00e1n<\/a> (INCMNSZ) and TecSalud<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s one thing to be told you got a positive result, and another to understand the background,\u201d says Alejandro Aranda<\/a>, a doctor and researcher at INCMNSZ and TecSalud, and first author of the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To assess this understanding, the researchers used the KnowGene questionnaire, a tool originally developed in the United States. The questions address topics such as the genetic inheritance of cancer, interpretation of results, and prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average score was 9.42 out of 16, a level of knowledge that the researchers consider moderate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many people understood general concepts about hereditary cancer<\/strong>, doubts persisted about how likely it is to inherit a mutation<\/a> and how to interpret some results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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