is polycythemia vera hereditary?

My grandmother has polycythemia vera and my mom died of cancer....are they related and is the pcv hereditary? (thinking about the lack of control of the stopping mechanism in cell development.)

[Jordanna Joaquina, MS, CGC]

Most cases of polycythemia vera appeared to be caused by sporadic, somatic mutations as opposed to inherited mutations. Most cells in our body divide to make new cells. The DNA in those cells needs to be replicated for each new cell. Sporadic DNA changes can occur during cell division or DNA replication as well as with environment damage.

Cancer is a multifactorial condition, which means that it involves a combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. Some types of cancer have a stronger genetic component than others. You may benefit from meeting with a cancer genetic counselor to discuss your family history. A genetic counselor can be found at the National Society of Genetic Counselors website or through companies like mine, AccessDNA.