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Testing the family after an inherited MET fault is found | CION Cancer Clinics
When one person is found to carry an inherited MET fault, their parents, brothers, sisters and adult children can each be tested for that exact fault. Each child of a carrier has a one in two chance of inheriting it. This page explains who is tested first, how the family test works, what each result means, and why children usually wait until adult life. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists explain what a gene result means for you and your family, and plan the checks that follow.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Who in the family should be tested for an inherited MET fault?
- Which relatives need the test, and which do not?
- How family testing for MET usually runs
- The words you will meet, in plain language
- What each result means for a relative
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about testing the family for MET
The short answer
Who in the family should be tested for an inherited MET fault?
Once one person is confirmed to carry an inherited MET fault, their parents, brothers, sisters and adult children can each be offered a test for that exact fault. Each child of a carrier has a one in two chance of inheriting it, whether the child is a son or a daughter.
Why the family test is simpler than the first one
The first person tested usually had a broad panel of genes checked. By the time relatives come in, the laboratory already knows the precise spelling change to look for. That makes the family test quicker, cheaper and far easier to read. The answer is almost always a clear yes or a clear no.
What the fault is linked to
An inherited MET fault causes a rare condition called hereditary papillary renal carcinoma. Carriers can develop several small kidney tumours, often in both kidneys, usually in adult life. Finding a carrier early means the kidneys can be watched with regular scans, so tumours are found while they are small.
A MET change reported on a lung cancer tumour is a different question entirely. That belongs with your oncologist's targeted therapy team, not with family testing.Who is offered what
Which relatives need the test, and which do not?
Testing follows the family tree outwards, one step at a time. Not everyone needs to be tested at once.
First-degree relatives
Parents, brothers, sisters and children of the carrier. Each has a one in two chance of carrying the same fault. These are the people offered testing first.
- Both parents, if living
- Every brother and sister
- Adult sons and daughters
The wider family
Uncles, aunts and cousins are offered testing once it is clear which side of the family the fault came from. If a parent tests positive, that parent's brothers and sisters come next.
Children under eighteen
Kidney tumours from this condition usually appear in adult life. Kidney scans are not normally started in childhood, so testing usually waits until the young person can decide for themselves.
Relatives who test negative
If you do not carry the family's fault, you cannot pass it on and your children need no test for it. Your kidney risk is back to that of anyone else your age.
A negative result on the family's known fault is a true negative.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
How family testing for MET usually runs
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The first result is confirmed as inherited
The fault must be found in a blood or saliva sample, not only in kidney tumour tissue. A change seen only in the tumour is not passed down a family.
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The carrier receives a family letter
The counsellor gives the carrier a short letter naming the gene and the exact variant. Relatives take this letter to their own doctor or counsellor, anywhere in India, so the correct fault is tested.
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Each relative has their own counselling session
Before the sample is taken, each adult hears what a positive result would mean for them, for insurance and for their children. They are free to decline.
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A single-variant test is run
Only the one known spelling change is checked. This is called targeted variant testing, and it is the least expensive genetic test a family will meet.
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Carriers start kidney surveillance
Relatives who carry the fault are offered regular kidney imaging, usually MRI, planned by a urologist or kidney cancer team. Those who do not carry it are discharged from this pathway.
On the family letter
The words you will meet, in plain language
- Germline
- Present in every cell from birth, so it can be passed to a child. This is the kind of fault family testing looks for.
- Cascade testing
- Testing relatives one step at a time, starting with the closest relatives of the first carrier and moving outwards.
- Autosomal dominant
- One faulty copy is enough to raise risk. Men and women are affected equally, and each child has the same one in two chance.
- Proband
- The first person in the family found to carry the fault. Their report is the key everyone else's test is built on.
- Penetrance
- How often carriers actually develop a tumour. For MET it is high, but tumours tend to appear later in adult life.
- Targeted variant test
- A test that checks only the family's known fault instead of the whole gene or a panel of genes.
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Side by side
What each result means for a relative
You carry the family fault
You do not carry it
Regular kidney scans are planned for you
No extra kidney scans for this reason
Each of your children has a one in two chance
Your children cannot inherit it from you
Your brothers and sisters should be told
Your branch of the family can stop here
Small tumours can be found and removed early
Ordinary health checks continue as usual
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"Only the men in our family get kidney cancer, so the women need not be tested."
An inherited MET fault is carried and passed on equally by men and women. A daughter who carries it has the same kidney risk and the same chance of passing it on.
"My father had it, but I feel perfectly well."
These kidney tumours rarely cause symptoms while they are small. Feeling well tells you nothing about whether you carry the fault. Only the test can answer that.
"If I test negative, my children should still be checked."
If you do not carry the family's fault, you cannot pass it on. Your children need testing only if the other parent's side has its own history.
"Telling relatives will ruin a daughter's marriage prospects."
This fear is real in many families, and a counsellor can help you plan the conversation. But a relative who is never told may miss years of scans that could have caught a tumour small.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether you carry your family's fault. Only a test on your own sample can do that. It also cannot tell you exactly when a carrier will develop a kidney tumour, because that varies widely even within one family. Studies of this condition are small, and much of what is known comes from a limited number of families worldwide.
It cannot read your relative's report
What a specific MET variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. Some MET changes are well understood. Others are listed as uncertain, and relatives should not be tested for an uncertain change at all.
Who this does not apply to
Most people with kidney cancer do not have an inherited MET fault, and most families with one case of kidney cancer do not need this test. It applies only once a confirmed inherited MET fault has been found in a relative.
If you have the family letter, bring it to the appointment. It saves time and avoids testing the wrong fault.Questions we are asked
Common questions about testing the family for MET
Do my relatives need the same big panel test I had?
No. Once your fault is known, relatives need only a test for that one spelling change. It is simpler, usually cheaper and gives a clearer answer. Bring your family letter or a copy of your report so the laboratory tests exactly the right change.
Can my relatives be tested in their own district?
Usually, yes. The blood or saliva sample can often be collected close to home and sent to the laboratory. Counselling before and after the test matters as much as the sample. It can be arranged in Telugu, in person or by phone, before the sample is taken.
My parents have both died. Can the fault still be traced?
Often it does not need to be. Your own result shows the fault is in the family, so your brothers, sisters and children can be tested directly. If a parent had kidney surgery, a stored tissue block can sometimes show which side it came from.
Should my young children be tested now?
Usually not. Kidney tumours linked to MET tend to appear in adult life, and scanning does not normally start in childhood. Most families wait until the child is an adult and can choose. Your counsellor will advise if your family history shows unusually early tumours.
What if a relative does not want to know?
That is their right, and it should be respected. They can still be offered kidney scans based on the family history instead. Give them the information and the family letter, and let them decide in their own time.
We married within the family. Does that change the odds?
For a dominant fault like MET, each child's chance is the same one in two if one parent carries it. Marriage within the family can mean both sides share relatives, so the counsellor will draw both family trees carefully to see where the fault sits.
Will a positive result affect insurance?
India has no dedicated law protecting people from genetic discrimination in insurance. The question has come up in court but is not settled by statute. Discuss it with your counsellor before testing, not after. Some people arrange health cover first.
Where do we start?
Start with the relative who has the confirmed report. Make a list of their parents, brothers, sisters and adult children. Take that list and the family letter to a genetic counsellor. Call the CION helpline if you are unsure who to see first.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Sources
- MedlinePlus Genetics — Hereditary papillary renal carcinoma
- National Cancer Institute — Genetics of Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Cancer) (PDQ) - Health Professional Version
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
The MET gene: what it does and why it mattersHow a switched-on MET gene leads to kidney tumoursMET positive: what happens nextThe first weeks after your own resultSurveillance for MET carriersWhat kidney scans a carrier relative can expectMET mutation: which cancers and what riskWhich organs are affected, told plainly
Talk to us
Need help planning tests for your relatives?
Tell us who in the family carries the MET fault and who else may need a test. We will help you arrange counselling, in Telugu if you prefer, and a test close to home. One helpline serves every CION centre.