How many of you have family history?

My Mother died of breast cancer, my brother died of colon cancer, my grandmother on my mother's side died of ovarian cancer, my grandmother on my dad's side died of stomach cancer, and one grandpa died of lung cancer.  So I have basically been waiting for mine, and here it is.  Tami

No family history. I have the distinction of being the first.

Sister is 2X bc survivor (both DCIS, 8 yrs. apart).  Also 2 of many first cousins (they're also sisters) had bc.  No bc in earlier generations, but father died of colon cancer.

My father first was diagnoised with esophogeal cancer.  Five years later he was diagnoised with pancreatic cancer and died that year.  Two uncles on my dad's side  diagnoised with cancer and one aunt on my mom's side with uterine cancer.  No breast cancer anywhere.  Do you ladies think we are predestioned to this from our genetic makeup?  Also, if there are other type of cancers in your family does this play in to the breast cancer?

I have a huge family hx. My mom died of ovarian cancer, my maternal grandmother died of breast cancer, my maternal great-grandmother died of ovariancancer, my paternal aunt died of breast cancer. I have a maternal aunt with breast cancer and 2 cousins with it. My paternal grandmother had colon cancer. One cousin died of pancreatic cancer, and 2 uncles died of kidney cancer. I feel like I was going to get it no matter what. I am worried about ILC mirroring itself.

D

I have no knowledge of cancer history on my paternal side, but my Grandmother died of cancer at 79, though I don't know what type. 

Our family has done it backwards on this subject.  Daughter was dxed at 10 with a malignant brain tumour, which she survived, then I was dxed at 48 with ILC; next was Mother-in-law who was dxed w/ metastatic lung cancer a year later at 72; 4 years later Father-in-law passed from prostate cancer @ 76.  

I have suspicions that I live in a cancer 'cluster' zone too.  We moved to this current home in '93 after the elderly lady who owned it was dxed with throat cancer.  I was dxed in '95, the man next door was dxed w/ throat cancer a year later and died about 4yrs ago. In the next house but one, a young guy of 19 was dxed with terminal leukeamia shortly afterwards.   Now I have mets which have probably been festering for some time.  The odd ones out are the old couple next door who have lived here since the '60's and neither of them got cancer and both lived into their 90's.

I think it might take a few more years yet before the medical profession can point its finger at any one thing as the defining cause of any or all cancers.  It will probably turn out to be genetic with certain enviro factors which sparked cellular mutations thrown in.

Sheila.

My mom died of bc, my dad died of pancreatic cancer, my paternal grandfather died of bladder cancer, I have a maternal aunt with colon cancer, and many other more distant relatives with an assortment of cancers. So I wasn't surprised when I was diagnosed--just didn't expect it in my 30's. On my DH's side, his dad died of prostate cancer, so I worry a lot about my kids, since they've had 3 grandparents die from cancer, and Mommy got diagnosed young. But considering how many women here on the boards are diagnosed with bc w/o any family history, maybe it makes no difference.

I had 2 great aunts who had ILC and one paternal aunt who had IDC. One aunt had a mast and never saw it again. The other had mast and it kept coming back and she died of brain mets after 40 yrs with breast cancer at the age of 75. The aunt with IDC died of natural causes unrelated to breast cancer. Hugs, Mazy

Wow,

I find it amazing that so many of us dx'd w/breast cancer had family w/pancreatic, colon, ovarian.  My mom (died), her niece, and I had breast, mom's brother (died), kidney; my sister, colon; my dad (died), pancreatic; his sister & mom, died of ovarian.  I had the genetic testing, expecting it to come back positive, and was floored when the counselor said it was all random, a coincedence.  I'm sure there is some sort of link, they just haven't found it.  She told me there was a link w/colon, breast, pancreatic and ovarian in the BRCHA genes but that I didn't show it.

Best of luck to everyone.

sunkistmi--my docs also expected me to be BRCA+, especially since my dad, who died of pancreatic cancer, was an Ashkenazi Jew. They were discussing oophrectomies, etc, with me even before the test results came back. When my BRCA testing was negative, they concluded that either my dad had been a carrier and I just didn't inherit the gene mutation, or that I have a BRCA mutation that hasn't been discovered yet. They actually suggested I get retested as new BRCA mutations are discovered.

I am the only breast cancer in my family that I know of.  My mother was adopted so there is not much family history on her side except her biological mother died in her 40's of a stroke.

I forgot to add: I have read that up to 85% of breast cancer diagnoses are made in women with NO known family history. So that's 85% of us who responded with, "WHAT?!!!?" to our diagnosis.