After many generations of cell division, the random mistakes on top of the
DNA damage from the sun exposure finally lead to hyperkeratoses, in situ
cancers and invasive cancers.
It's getting older which is the problem. You can't undo it

Dear Andy,

You said:
"Since I was adopted at birth and do not know my family medical history, who
is to say?  Curse those stupid adoption privacy laws."

AMEN. Secrecy in adoption kills people. Secrecy in adoption creates a
sub-class of people who are unable to find out their family medical history
and puts them at risk of either acquiring a hereditary disease or in a
situation of being unable to manage a potentilly inheritable disease.
Secrecy in adoption is a relatively new phenomenon but it was created long
before the discovery of DNA and the whole constellation of inheritable
diseases, some of which are cancer (albeit a small percentage). Adoption
reunions can run interference with this problem by allowing biological
family members to share information about hereditary diseases.

For example, I know of a case here in Ontario where a mother who had
surrendered her child to adoption 28 years previously "met" her daughter by
reading her obit in the paper (there was a picture of the daughter in the
obit and she looked remarkably similar to her natural mother). The mother
had had the same cancer, ovarian, for some years, although she was about 18
years older than her daughter. It's possible that the mother could have
warned her daughter about the potential to acquire this cancer had they
known each other a few years previously. One can only imagine the grief of
this woman.

Another case. My friend, an adoptee, died of liver cancer last August after
originally being diagnosed with a rare ocular melanoma. Her (reunited)
mother a couple of years ago in a casual conversation advised her daughter
that the family had a history of glaucoma (a relatively harmless disease)
and advised her to get her eyes checked. She did and that's how my friend
was originally diagnosed. This disease was supposed to be 95% curable and it
was not expected to spread. Unfortunately, although it was detected early,
it did spread and the reunion did not save her life. BUT, now the entire
large biological family is now on the look-out for this disease and other
cancers.

In my personal case: I am a reunited mother of a 40 year old son (5 years).
Several weeks ago my son (with whom I am in constant contact) phoned me to
say he was experiencing pain in the middle of the night in his abdomen. I
had had my gall bladder removed many years ago so I thought he may have gall
stones. I told him to go to the doctor and get it checked out by getting an
ultrasound. He didn't have gallstones--he had Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma!
This is apparently not inherited, but my concern about gall stones sent him
to the doctor and, hopefully, detected his disease early enough to cure it.

I know of numerous similar case involving Polycystic Kidney Disease and
others. If you pursue reunion you may find out some helpful information
about your cancer--no guarantees but maybe. Some laws (in US states and
Canadian provinces) enable people to access their original birth files based
on health reasons.

Best of luck!

Karen

Hey Andy, since you and I are both adopted and both have had skin cancer at a
fairly young age, maybe it is adoption that causes it, just kidding (my warped
humor).

I agree, most of the states have laws that suck but there are people working
very hard to change them so we adoptees can have a flying chance, at least the
same odds as non adoptees, to find our genetic medical histories.  Don't you
just hate those medical questionaires that Dr's always ask you to complete?    

Have you done any searching on your own?  Feel free to E-mail me if you need
any links.  Kathy J  

"Frank (aka) "stew"" <imhere@home.com> wrote in message
Is this another person to plonk?

Frank,

This old message of mine you dredged up is full of pertinent information
meant for the original poster's questions.

I am a ten year survivor of multiple types of cancer.

I will keep fighting another type cancer until I die or it kills me.

Take 2 minutes and do some serious research before you accuse people of
spamming.

Solaraze is FDA approved.

I think you owe me a public apology.

spam2death