Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Myth: an inherited gene fault can be reversed or corrected | CION Cancer Clinics
An inherited gene fault cannot be reversed, repaired or removed. It is written into every cell from birth, and no diet, remedy or procedure available today changes that. What can change is what the fault leads to. Closer checks, some medicines and, for some people, preventive surgery can lower the risk or find cancer early. This page explains why the fault stays and what you can actually do. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
NG
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
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- Can an inherited gene fault be reversed or corrected?
- What do people mean when they say a fault can be fixed?
- What can you do about an inherited fault?
- The words you will meet, in plain language
- What cannot change, and what can?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four versions of this myth families hear
- Common questions about changing an inherited gene
The short answer
Can an inherited gene fault be reversed or corrected?
No. An inherited fault is present in every cell of your body from the day you were born. It was in the egg or sperm cell you came from, so it was copied into every cell that followed. No treatment today can go back into all of those cells and rewrite the instruction.
Why people hope it can
Families are told a gene "causes" cancer, and it is natural to ask whether the gene can be fixed. Some are then offered products or therapies that promise to "repair DNA" or "reset genes". These claims do not hold up. The spelling of an inherited gene does not change during your life.
What can change
The fault is fixed. What it leads to is not. People who know they carry a fault can be watched more closely, can sometimes take medicines that lower risk, and can choose preventive surgery for some cancers. Many carriers live full lives with a fault they will never remove.
A gene fault is a statement about risk, not a sentence. Knowing about it is what makes the options possible.Four common claims
What do people mean when they say a fault can be fixed?
Each of these contains something real. None of them changes an inherited gene.
Diet and supplements
Good food and a healthy weight lower some everyday risks and help you through treatment. They do not change the spelling of an inherited gene.
What they can do
- Help keep weight in a healthy range
- Lower some risks that are not genetic
- Support strength during treatment
Traditional remedies
Many families use Ayurvedic, homeopathic or Unani remedies for comfort. None has been shown to change an inherited gene. Tell your doctor about anything you take, since some remedies interact with cancer medicines.
Gene therapy
A real field, used for a few rare conditions by adding or editing genes in particular cells. It is not a treatment for inherited cancer risk, and it cannot reach every cell in an adult body.
Editing genes in a way that would pass to children is not permitted in India.Epigenetics
Lifestyle and surroundings can change chemical tags that turn genes up or down. This is genuine science. It does not repair a spelling fault in an inherited gene, and studies in carriers are still small.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat actually helps
What can you do about an inherited fault?
Understand the result properly
Sit down with a genetic counsellor. Risks differ from gene to gene and sometimes from variant to variant, so the plan starts with knowing exactly what you carry.
Start the right checks
Many faults call for scans or tests that start earlier or come more often than usual. The aim is to find any cancer while it is small and easier to treat.
Ask about medicines that lower risk
For some genes, some people are offered medicines that reduce the chance of cancer. Whether they suit you depends on the gene, your age and your health.
Weigh preventive surgery as one option
For a few genes, removing an organ at risk lowers the chance of cancer there. It is a personal choice among several, discussed over time with your surgeon and counsellor.
Think about the next generation
Relatives can be tested for the same fault. Couples can also discuss options for having children with a fertility specialist.
On your report
The words you will meet, in plain language
- Germline
- Present in every cell from birth, and therefore inheritable. The opposite word is somatic, meaning a fault found only inside the tumour.
- Pathogenic variant
- A spelling difference known to break the gene's instruction. This is what people mean by a gene fault.
- Gene therapy
- Treatment that adds, removes or edits genetic material in particular cells. It is used for a small number of conditions.
- Epigenetics
- Chemical tags that turn genes up or down without changing the gene's spelling.
- Risk-reducing
- A step taken to lower the chance of cancer, not to treat a cancer that already exists.
- Surveillance
- Planned checks to find cancer early in people known to be at raised risk.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
What cannot change, and what can?
Cannot be changed
Can be changed
The fault in your cells
How closely you are watched
Each child's chance of inheriting it
Whether a cancer is found early
The cancers already in your family
Other risks, such as tobacco, alcohol and weight
The gene named on your report
The choices you make with that knowledge
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your own fault means. Risks, checks and options differ from gene to gene, and sometimes between two variants in the same gene. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot judge a product you have been offered
If someone is selling a remedy that claims to change your genes, take it to your oncologist before you spend anything. You will get an honest answer about what is known, and whether it could interfere with your treatment.
Who this does not apply to
A fault found only in a tumour is a different matter. Some of those can be targeted by medicines, as our targeted therapy pages explain, though that still leaves any inherited fault untouched. And most people with cancer in the family carry no inherited fault at all.
Commonly believed
Four versions of this myth families hear
"Removing the ovaries removes the gene."
Surgery lowers the risk in that organ. The fault stays in every other cell of the body, and it can still be passed to children.
"A second test came back normal, so the fault has gone."
A confirmed inherited fault does not disappear. A different answer usually means a different test, a sample mix-up or a new reading of the same variant. Ask your counsellor to compare both reports.
"A clinic abroad can reset my DNA with stem cells."
No clinic can rewrite a gene in every cell of an adult. Be very wary of anyone charging money for this promise.
"After chemotherapy, the gene is gone."
Chemotherapy works on cancer cells. The inherited fault remains in every healthy cell after treatment ends, which is why checks continue.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about changing an inherited gene
Can a BRCA fault be removed or repaired?
No. A BRCA fault you were born with is in every cell and stays there for life. What can be changed is the risk it carries, through closer checks, some medicines and, for some people, preventive surgery. Your counsellor will explain which of these suit you.
Can gene therapy fix an inherited cancer gene?
Not today. Gene therapy is used for a small number of rare conditions by changing genes in particular cells. It cannot reach every cell in an adult, and it is not offered for inherited cancer risk. Be wary of anyone who says otherwise.
Can diet or yoga change my genes?
They can change your health, and that matters. A healthy weight, activity and avoiding tobacco lower other risks. They do not change the spelling of an inherited gene, and they do not replace the checks your counsellor recommends.
If I cannot change the fault, is testing pointless?
No. Knowing about a fault is what makes earlier checks, risk-lowering medicines and informed choices possible. It also lets relatives find out whether they carry it, and those who do not can stop worrying.
Will treatment stop my children inheriting the fault?
No. Treatment for cancer does not change what is passed on. For most inherited cancer genes, each child has a one in two chance of inheriting the fault, whatever treatment the parent has had.
Can a fault be kept from passing to the next generation?
Some couples choose to test embryos during IVF so that only those without the fault are used. It is regulated in India, expensive and not for everyone. A counsellor and a fertility specialist can explain what it involves.
Someone is selling a remedy that repairs genes. Should I try it?
Show it to your oncologist first. No remedy has been shown to change an inherited gene, and some interact with cancer medicines. Spending on it can also leave less money for checks that genuinely help.
Does carrying a fault mean I will definitely get cancer?
No. It raises risk. Many carriers never develop cancer, and those who do are often found early because they were being watched. Call the CION helpline if you want to talk to a counsellor about what your result means.
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)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is the difference between germline and somatic mutations?
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is epigenetics?
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- Indian Council of Medical Research — National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017
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
Myth: Ayurvedic or homeopathic treatment can change your genesThe remedy claims families hear most, looked at closelyMyth: a positive test means you will definitely get cancerWhy a fault raises risk rather than settling itMyth: knowing will only cause worryWhat knowing actually makes possibleMyths about inherited cancerEvery common myth, answered in one place
Talk to us
Been told a remedy can change your genes?
Bring it to us before you spend anything. A counsellor or oncologist will tell you honestly what is known and what genuinely lowers your risk. One helpline serves every CION centre.