Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
School, sport and growing up with a cancer predisposition | CION Cancer Clinics
A child who carries an inherited cancer fault can go to school, play sport and grow up much like anyone else. The practical differences are a timetable of checks that takes days out of school, a few habits that matter more than usual, and a gradual handover of their own care. This page covers school, sport, friendships and the teenage years. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists plan screening and care for families with an inherited cancer syndrome, explained in plain words.
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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
- Can my child live an ordinary life with a predisposition?
- What should parents plan for at school and in sport?
- How does a child take charge of their own care as they grow?
- What do the words in clinic mean?
- Which everyday habits matter more than usual, and why?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about growing up with a predisposition
The short answer
Can my child live an ordinary life with a predisposition?
Yes, for the most part. A child who carries an inherited cancer fault can go to school, play sport, make friends and grow up much like anyone else. The fault itself causes no symptoms. What changes is a timetable of checks, a few habits that matter more than usual, and a gradual handover of their own care.
What actually changes day to day
Hospital days for scans and examinations, some of them with an anaesthetic and a day of rest after. A little more care with sun, tobacco and X-rays, depending on the syndrome. And, as the child grows, more conversations about what the gene means for them.
What usually does not change
Food, school subjects, friendships, games, festivals and family trips normally carry on as before. Most children with a predisposition need no special diet and no restrictions on ordinary play. Treating them as fragile tends to do more harm than the gene.
A predisposition is a reason for regular checks, not a reason to stop living.School, sport and friends
What should parents plan for at school and in sport?
A little planning at the start of each school year saves a lot of explaining later.
Teachers
The class teacher usually needs to know only that your child has regular hospital appointments. The gene itself is private family information, and sharing it is your choice.
Worth telling the school
- Dates of planned hospital days
- Rest needed after an anaesthetic
- Who to call if your child feels unwell
Exams and absences
Ask the surveillance team to plan scan dates around board exams and important school events. Most checks can move by a few weeks without harm, but ask before you change one.
Sport and play
Cricket, football, running, swimming and dance are generally encouraged. Activity helps growing bodies and moods alike. A few situations, such as recovery after surgery, need the team's advice first.
Friends and classmates
What to tell friends is your child's decision as they get older. Some share openly, others keep it private. Both are fine, and neither should be forced.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistHanding over the care
How does a child take charge of their own care as they grow?
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Early childhood: parents hold everything
Parents keep the plan, the reports and the dates. The child simply knows that doctors check them regularly to keep them well.
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Primary school: simple, true explanations
The child learns in plain words why they go to hospital, and that the checks are to keep them healthy. Questions are answered as they come.
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Early teens: joining the conversation
The young person starts asking their own questions in clinic, learns the name of their gene, and begins to understand what each check is for.
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Late teens: time alone with the team
Part of each visit happens without parents. The teenager learns to book appointments, keep their own reports and describe symptoms themselves.
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Young adulthood: moving to adult care
The plan transfers to an adult team. By now the young person should know their syndrome, their checks and who to call.
Words your child will hear
What do the words in clinic mean?
- Predisposition
- A raised chance of certain cancers. It is not a disease, and many people with one never develop cancer.
- Surveillance
- Regular planned checks, such as scans or eye examinations, to find any problem early.
- Carrier
- Someone who has the gene fault. A carrier is not a patient and usually feels completely well.
- Genetic counsellor
- A specialist who explains genetic results and helps families make decisions about testing and checks.
- Transition
- The planned move from children's care to adult care, usually in the late teens.
- Scan anxiety
- The worry many young people and parents feel in the days before a scan or its result. It is common and it can be helped.
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Habits that matter more
Which everyday habits matter more than usual, and why?
The habit
Why it matters
Never starting smoking, gutka or chewing tobacco
Tobacco adds damage on top of an inherited fault
Sun protection, for syndromes that affect the skin
Some faults raise the risk of skin cancer
Avoiding X-rays and CT scans that are not needed
Some faults make cells more sensitive to radiation
Staying active and at a healthy weight
Good for every child, and helps if treatment is ever needed
Keeping every surveillance date
Missed checks are how early findings are lost
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your child's syndrome specifically allows or rules out. A few syndromes and treatments carry particular cautions, and only the team that knows your child's result can list them. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot plan the teenage years for you
Some teenagers want every detail, others want to think about it as little as possible. Both are normal. A counsellor or psychologist who works with young people can help a teenager find their own pace, in Telugu or English.
Who this does not apply to
Children who carry a fault that raises risk only in adult life, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, usually need no checks or changes in childhood at all. Most of them will not even be tested until they are adults. This page is mainly for families whose child already has a surveillance plan.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"He should stop sport to be safe."
For most children with a predisposition, sport is encouraged, not restricted. Keeping a child out of games usually harms their confidence and fitness without lowering any cancer risk.
"The school has to be told everything."
Schools need practical information, such as hospital dates and who to call. The genetic result is private, and many families choose not to share it.
"Teenagers are too young to handle the details."
Teenagers usually cope better with honest information than with guessing. They will soon be responsible for their own checks, so learning gradually is safer than learning all at once at eighteen.
"With this gene, she will not be able to marry or have children."
People with a predisposition marry and have families. Whether and when to tell a future partner is their own decision, and a counsellor can explain the options for having children.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about growing up with a predisposition
Does the school need to know about the gene?
Not usually. The school needs to know about hospital days, rest after an anaesthetic and who to call if your child is unwell. The genetic result is private. Share more only if it would genuinely help the teacher support your child.
Will surveillance clash with board exams?
It does not have to. Tell the surveillance team your child's exam dates early, and ask whether checks can be moved slightly. Most can shift by a few weeks without harm, but ask the team rather than skipping a check.
Can my child play contact sports like kabaddi or football?
Usually, yes. Most predispositions place no limit on sport. The exceptions are specific, such as recovery after surgery or a known growth near a bone, and your child's team will tell you if one applies.
Does my child need to avoid the sun?
Only for some syndromes. Those linked to skin cancer call for hats, shade and sunscreen during the hottest part of the day. For most other childhood syndromes, ordinary sun sense is enough. Ask your child's team which applies.
When should my child be told the full details?
Gradually, starting with simple words in early childhood and adding detail as they ask. By the late teens they should know their gene, their checks and why they matter. A counsellor can help you plan each step.
Will this affect marriage prospects?
It is a real worry for many Indian families. Whether, when and how to tell a future spouse or their family is a personal decision. A genetic counsellor can help the young person think it through, including what the result would mean for their own children.
Could it affect insurance or jobs later?
India has no dedicated law on genetic discrimination, and the position is not settled. Some families arrange health cover early. Most jobs are open to someone with a predisposition. It is worth raising with a counsellor as your child approaches adulthood.
Where do we start?
Ask your child's surveillance team for a written plan with this year's dates, then share the practical parts with the school. If you are unsure who to approach, call the CION helpline 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
- MedlinePlus Genetics — Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is genetic discrimination?
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
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
Surveillance programmes for predisposed childrenThe checks you are planning school aroundTransition from paediatric to adult genetics careThe last step of handing over the careExplaining a genetic result to a childWords that fit each ageWhen a child should decide for themselvesGiving a teenager their own say
Talk to us
Want help fitting your child's checks around school?
Tell us your child's syndrome, age and school calendar. We will help you plan checks that disturb school and family life as little as possible. One helpline serves every CION centre.