Correlation?

[Rets]

53 yr.old female who's had malignant melanoma,breast cancer, thyroid cancer.
Mother died of colon cancer. Mother's side of family (5) died from cancer but unknown cancers in Northern Italy.
Have findings of either renal complex cyst or angiomyolipoma.  Have read case study that angiomyolipoma corealates to Melanoma-True?

[Lisa Kessler, MS, CGC]

You have a significant personal and family history of cancer, and I hope that this response can point you in the right direction. There are several different cancer syndromes that can run in families and can include multiple types of cancer.   By melanoma, I am assuming that you are referring to skin cancer.  Angiomyolipoma (AML) and melanoma are generally not found together in a hereditary cancer syndrome.  As you may know, AML are usually benign renal tumors made up of fat, blood vessels and muscle.  AML stain positive for melanocytes which is different from having melanoma.  

You may find it beneficial to talk with a genetic counselor especially one with experience in cancer risk assessment. You can find a local genetic counselor through the National Society of Genetic Counselors.  A genetic counselor would review your personal cancer history and family medical history in detail and determine if your cancers fit into a hereditary cancer syndrome. In other words, a genetic counselor would try to determine if there is a relationship among your diagnoses. Knowing if there is a single cause to your diagnoses may help guide your cancer screening and provide you with information about risks for your family members. Genetic testing is available for many hereditary cancer syndromes and you can talk with a genetic counselor about the benefits and limitations of those tests.