Genetics and Cancer
Dr. Arelis Martir-Negron, Medical Geneticist with Miami Cancer Institute, says cancer is a genetic illness, because it is a change that happened in the genes of the cell. It can be caused by something that just happened, such as a virus, or by being born with a defect.
She explains doctors test many genes to know if the patient was born with a defect. For example, they test the genes BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 that are associated with breast cancer and ovarian cancer.