family history of cancer
1
3.7
- noun
- Specialized
:
historia familiar de cáncer
- Is there a family history of cancer?
Examples
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Do you have a family history of cancer?
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"In addition to a family history of cancer, Pappas said obesity increases the possibility of developing breast cancer.
Blog text (19) -
OGDEN -- Miriam Storey doesn't have a family history of cancer, but she knows plenty of people with the disease, so she signed up to participate in a cancer-prevention study in the hopes of one day finding a cure.
Blog text (5) -
The only bit of truth in all of this, as far as I can see, is that there is a cancer gene or gene precursor; all the rest is fishing and needless drivel, because the fact is, fat and skinny girls get cancer; women with big tatas and little bitty ones get cancer; and women with no genetic markers or family history of cancer get cancer, regardless of how big their boobs are.
Blog text (34) -
You have a family history of cancer that could increase your risk.
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People with a family history of cancer should discuss screening options with their doctor.
Synonyms
55
2.7
Information about illnesses your relatives have had to help a doctor know your health risks
Surface Forms
Morphology
family + history + of + cancer
The phrase is fully compositional: 'history' (an account of past events) modified by 'family' (relatives) and specified 'of cancer' clearly yields a record of cancer diagnoses among relatives. This noun + of + noun pattern is common across languages and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
Family history of cancer comes from a simple picture: a list that shows past cases of cancer in your family, so history means the family's medical past. That's why the phrase today means a record of cancer among your relatives and helps show your 'risk' of getting it.