Cancer Treatment Options Forum - January 16th, 2011 - 4 Comments
Can cancer caused by UV radiation be passed on to offspring?
I’m guessing no because that would concern mitosis and mitosis isn’t directly related to having children, but I am not 100 percent sure. Could it affect the cell division prior to meiosis in some way?
The cancer itself wouldn’t be passed on. Its like having a mole… your child won’t necessarily have a mole in the same place. You may pass on a genetic pre-disposition to developing moles, or you may pass on lifestyle habits like suntanning that encourage skin cell changes, but thats the extent of what you can pass on.
If you’ve got free radicals or other DNA damaging compounds floating around your body, they could affect your gamete cells. The UV radiation would not directly affect those cells.
Only if the mutation is in gametic cells, because they are the ones that undergo fertilization.
Unlikely. UV radiation mainly affects the skin. It can’t penetrate the body to affect the gametes like x-rays or gamma rays can.
unless you get exposure in your ovaries or testicles, where the eggs and sperm are, where they themselves will be mutated by the radiation, your not gonna have any problem with it.