Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
How to reduce your risk when cancer runs in the genes | CION Cancer Clinics
If you carry an inherited gene fault, there is a lot you can do. Regular checks can find cancer early, medicines can lower the chance of it starting, and surgery can remove the organ at risk. Most carriers combine these and change the mix over time. This page lays out each route, how a personal plan is built, and what habits can and cannot add. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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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
- What can you actually do about an inherited cancer risk?
- Which ways of lowering risk are open to carriers?
- How is a personal risk plan usually put together?
- The terms used in risk planning, in plain language
- What is usually discussed for some common faults
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about reducing inherited cancer risk
The short answer
What can you actually do about an inherited cancer risk?
More than most families expect. There are three main routes: regular checks to find cancer early, medicines that lower the chance of it starting, and surgery that removes the organ at risk. Everyday habits add a little on top. The gene fault itself cannot be changed.
Why the gene decides the plan
Each gene raises the risk of particular cancers, in particular organs, at particular ages. A BRCA fault points to breast and ovaries. Lynch syndrome points to the bowel and womb. So the plan for one carrier can look nothing like the plan for another, even in the same family.
You do not have to choose everything at once
Most people combine routes and change them over time. A woman in her twenties may start with scans, add a tablet later, and consider surgery once her family is complete. A plan that fits your life is one you will keep up.
What lifestyle can and cannot do
Not smoking, drinking less and staying active lower cancer risk for everyone, carriers included. They help, but they cannot outweigh a strong inherited fault on their own.
Knowing you carry a fault is what makes these choices possible. Many families never get that warning.The main routes
Which ways of lowering risk are open to carriers?
Each route does a different job. Most carriers use two or more together.
Surveillance
Regular scans or scopes that look for cancer, or its early warning signs, before symptoms appear. It does not stop cancer starting, but it can catch it small.
For example
- Breast MRI for BRCA carriers
- Colonoscopy in Lynch syndrome
- Whole-body MRI in some rare syndromes
Medication
Tablets that lower the chance of a cancer starting. The benefit is partial, it only covers certain cancers, and side effects need weighing against it.
For example
- Tamoxifen or raloxifene for breast risk
- Aspirin for bowel risk in Lynch syndrome
- The combined pill for ovarian risk
Risk-reducing surgery
Removing a healthy organ before cancer can start in it. It lowers risk the most, but it is permanent and it has real effects on the body and on family plans.
Timing matters as much as the choice itself.Everyday habits
Not smoking, limiting alcohol, keeping a healthy weight and being active. Breastfeeding, where it is possible, also lowers breast and ovarian risk a little. These steps also protect your heart and bones, which matters if surgery brings an early menopause.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBuilding your plan
How is a personal risk plan usually put together?
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The result is confirmed and explained
A genetic counsellor confirms the fault and tells you which cancers it is linked to. This is the foundation for every choice that follows.
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Your own risk is estimated
Your age, sex, family history and past health are added in. Two carriers of the same fault can have quite different risks.
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The options are laid out
You hear what each route offers for your gene, what it costs you, and what the evidence says. Honest doctors will also tell you where the evidence is thin.
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You decide at your own pace
Very few decisions here are urgent. Most people take weeks or months, and talk it over with family. Choosing to wait is a valid choice.
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The plan is reviewed as life changes
Marriage, children, menopause and new research can all shift the balance. A good plan is revisited, not written once and forgotten.
Words you will hear
The terms used in risk planning, in plain language
- Surveillance
- A schedule of regular checks for a person known to be at raised risk. It is more intensive than routine screening.
- Chemoprevention
- Using a medicine to lower the chance of cancer. It is not chemotherapy.
- Risk-reducing surgery
- An operation to remove healthy tissue that carries a high chance of becoming cancer.
- Absolute risk
- Your actual chance of a cancer over a stated period. This is the number that helps you decide.
- Relative risk
- How much a step changes your risk compared with doing nothing. It sounds bigger than it often is.
- Cascade testing
- Offering the same test to blood relatives once a fault is found in the family.
Examples by gene
What is usually discussed for some common faults
If you carry
The main tools usually discussed
BRCA1 or BRCA2
Breast MRI, tablets, and removing ovaries and tubes after childbearing
Lynch syndrome
Regular colonoscopy, aspirin, and womb and ovary options
Familial adenomatous polyposis
Colonoscopy from youth, then planned bowel surgery
CDH1
Stomach removal, or careful endoscopy for those who decline
TP53
Whole-body MRI and avoiding unneeded X-rays
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which route is right for you. That depends on your exact fault, your age, your health and what matters most to you. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot promise an outcome
Every route lowers risk or finds cancer earlier. None removes the risk completely. A plan improves your odds, and that is worth a great deal, but it is not a promise.
It cannot weigh your values for you
Some people want the largest possible fall in risk. Others care most about keeping fertility, avoiding an operation or not taking a tablet every day. There is no wrong answer. A counsellor's job is to make the trade-offs clear, not to choose for you.
Who this does not apply to
Most people with cancer in the family do not carry a single high-risk fault, and do not need this level of planning. A variant of uncertain significance is not a reason to take any of these steps either. If you have not been tested, start with a counsellor, not with a risk plan.
Counselling in Telugu can be arranged, so that older relatives can follow the discussion too.Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"It is in our genes, so there is nothing we can do."
An inherited fault raises risk, but scans, medicines and surgery can all change what happens next. Knowing early is the advantage.
"The only real option is surgery."
Surgery lowers risk the most, but many carriers choose scans and tablets instead, or first. Both are respected choices.
"A strict diet and supplements will cancel out the gene."
Healthy habits help everyone a little. No diet, supplement or herbal remedy has been shown to switch off an inherited fault.
"Once I have a plan, I never need to revisit it."
Plans change with age, children, menopause and new evidence. Most carriers review theirs every so often with the team.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about reducing inherited cancer risk
Which option lowers risk the most?
For most genes, risk-reducing surgery lowers risk the most. It is also the only option you cannot undo. Scans and medicines lower risk less, but keep your choices open. Your counsellor can compare them for your gene.
Can I start with scans and decide on surgery later?
Yes. Many carriers do exactly that. Surveillance gives you time, especially while you are still planning a family. The exception is the few genes where waiting carries a known risk, and your doctor will tell you if yours is one of them.
Does aspirin really help in Lynch syndrome?
A large trial found fewer bowel cancers in Lynch carriers who took aspirin. It is not right for everyone, because aspirin can cause stomach bleeding. Discuss it with your doctor before starting.
Do men have options too?
Yes. Men with BRCA2 or Lynch syndrome may be offered prostate, bowel or pancreas checks depending on the gene. Men are also key to cascade testing, because they can pass a fault to daughters.
Is any of this covered by Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat?
Cover varies by scheme, by procedure and by hospital. Some surgery and scans may be covered, while preventive steps often are not. Ask the hospital's insurance desk to check your card before you plan anything.
What if my family disagrees with my choice?
This is common, especially around surgery before marriage. A counsellor can meet the family with you and explain the reasons in plain language. The decision stays yours.
Should my children do anything now?
For most adult-onset faults, children are not tested until they are adults and can decide for themselves. A few syndromes need checks in childhood. Your counsellor will tell you which applies to your family.
Where do I start?
With a genetic counsellor who can explain your result and draw up a plan. Bring your report and a family tree. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure who to see, and someone will point you to the right clinic.
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
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
- National Cancer Institute — BRCA Gene Changes: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing
- National Cancer Institute — Genetics of Colorectal Cancer (PDQ) - Health Professional Version
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
Surgery, medication or surveillance: how to weigh themHow to compare the three main routes for yourselfTamoxifen and raloxifene for risk reductionThe tablets most often discussed for breast riskAspirin for Lynch syndrome and bowel riskWhat the trial found, and who it suitsWhat cannot reduce your risk: honest answersThe claims that do not hold up
Talk to us
Want help turning a gene result into a plan?
Tell us your result and your family history, and we will help you find a counsellor to lay out the options for your gene. There is no pressure to decide anything quickly. One helpline serves every CION centre.