It appears that most cancers - like sin - are inherited:
Inheritance plays a part in 16 out of 27 cancers, a recent study reveals.
The study, conducted by deCODE Genetics in Iceland, examined the rates at which cancer occurred among all first to fifth-degree relatives of 32,000 patients who had cancer diagnosed between 1955 and 2002.
A first-degree relative is a parent or child or sibling who shares 50 per cent of an individual's DNA. Fifth-degree relatives, such as great-great-great grandparents, share 3.125 per cent of DNA with the patient.
Details of the study were published today in the open-access journal Public Library of Science Medicine.
According to the report, a total of 27 cancers were studied, including many of the most common such as lung, breast, prostate, colon and skin.
For 16 of these, relatives of patients were at a significantly higher risk of developing the disease.
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