Most carriers of Fanconi anemia genes are not at a higher risk of cancer

For almost 50 years, Fanconi anemia has been associated with leukemia. Not just among those who have the genetic disorder but among their family members, whose genes, they were told, made them highly susceptible to a variety of malignancies. But a new study to examine links between 13 specific Fanconi anemia genes and cancer risk has determined that in most cases, their risk of cancer is no greater than that of the rest of the population.