Expansion of Recommendations for Hereditary Cancers

Hereditary cancers account for up to 10% of all cancer diagnoses, and are caused by genetic mutations passed from parent to child. Emerging evidence in this field has resulted in cancer prevention and specific treatment decisions, leading to decreased cancer incidence and improved patient quality of life. However, there have been notable differences in clinical guidelines that provide inconsistent recommendations, causing confusion about what genes are of importance. The updated NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment provide the most up-to-date recommendations for not only clinicians but also patients and their family members with similar genetic mutations.