Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 2026: Why your mom's cancer history could be a hidden risk factor for prostate cancer?

Understanding your mother's cancer history is crucial in assessing prostate cancer risk. Learn how genetic factors influence screening and treatment decisions.

When a man discusses prostate cancer risk, he may mention an affected father, brother, or uncle. However, his mother’s ovarian cancer or his sister’s breast cancer may seem unrelated. Yet these diagnoses can point to an inherited susceptibility that matters to him too. Certain inherited changes in genes such as BRCA2 increase the risk of prostate cancer along with other cancers. They can come from either parent.

A new study published in The Lancet suggests patients of prostate cancer should go in for MRI scan before a biopsy. (Shutterstock)

By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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Looking only at male relatives or the father’s side of the family can therefore leave important gaps in a family’s medical history. "Identifying inherited cancer mutations can influence treatment and screening and guide the medical attention relatives need", Dr Thangarajan Rajkumar, Director of Research Oncology, MedGenome Labs Ltd, tells Health Shots. Genetic counseling helps establish who needs testing and what the findings mean.

Who should consider genetic counseling?

• If multiple relatives have been affected by prostate, breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancers, men should consider discussing family history with their doctor. These patterns do not prove an inherited mutation.
• Still, a qualified oncologist or genetic counselor can review the cancer types, ages of diagnosis, and relationships between affected relatives to guide whether monitoring or medical intervention is required.
• Family history is not the only consideration. Men with metastatic prostate cancer should be offered germline testing even without a known family history. Some men with high-risk localized disease may also qualify.

What genetic testing can and cannot genetic testing tell you?

• Germline testing, usually performed using blood or saliva, looks for inherited gene changes that may increase cancer risk. Tumor testing goes a step further by examining genetic changes within the cancer itself, which may help guide treatment.
• A genetic finding in a tumor does not automatically mean the mutation is inherited or that relatives share the same risk; separate germline testing may therefore be needed.
• Before testing, the oncologist or the genetic counselor can explain the possible results, costs, privacy considerations, and potential implications for relatives. After testing, counseling can also help patients understand what their results mean and how they may affect their care or family members.

Can a mutated gene go back to normal?

The meaning of a genetic result depends on the type of finding. A pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant is a gene change known to increase cancer risk, but having one does not mean that cancer is inevitable. Conversely, a negative result may not fully explain a strong family history of cancer. A variant of uncertain significance (VUS) means there is currently insufficient evidence to determine whether the change affects cancer risk. A VUS should not, on its own, change treatment or guide predictive testing in relatives.

How can results change care?

Men with a pathogenic BRCA2 variant are generally advised to discuss PSA-based prostate cancer screening from around age 40. Screening frequency should be individualized based on personal and family history. Since PSA is not specific to cancer, an elevated result requires further evaluation and does not, by itself, mean cancer is present.

For some people with advanced cancer, specific genetic alterations may help guide treatment decisions, including the use of PARP inhibitors. Eligibility depends on the specific genetic alteration and the clinical setting. A confirmed inherited genetic variant can offer more than answers for one person. It allows families to understand their genetic risk, make informed decisions, and take early action.

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)