Familial Excess of Cancer of the Ovary and Other Anatomic Sites

In a family with a high incidence of cancer, the proband manifested early-onset colon cancer at age 39 years. His mother, her twin sister, and their daughters had ovarian carcinoma. In the proband's sibship, six of eight had cancer of differing anatomic sites. The susceptibility to ovarian carcinoma appeared to have been transmitted through the men; one was cancer free while two had cancer. Thus, eight close relatives had ovarian carcinoma. Examinations of 51 blood relatives failed to show cutaneous stigmata or congenital abnormalities of known hereditary cancer or precancer syndromes.