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Researchers Have Found that Certain Inherited Epigenetic Changes Can Lead to Increased Cancer Rates
Cancers have a habit of running in the family. This is due in large part to the inheritance of versions of genes that are linked with cancer, but some researchers are investigating another heritable risk factor: epigenetic modifications. These are not changes in the DNA sequence of a gene itself but processes that change a DNA sequence’s accessibility or ability to be expressed. These changes can regulate gene expression, and in certain circumstances, be passed down from parent to child alongside the genes they regulate.