A new study has found that skin cancer can run in the family.

One study found that having an identical twin who has a melanoma increases a person’s own risk of developing the disease much more than having a fraternal twin with melanoma. Another study found that having a parent or a sibling with one of the several types of non-melanoma skin cancer also increased risks.

Dr. Sri N. Shekar and colleagues of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia looked at twin pairs in which at least one sibling was diagnosed with melanoma. Searching through thousands of melanoma cases reported in Queensland and New South Wales, the researchers found 125 twin pairs. In four of the 27 identical twin pairs, both had melanoma, while three of the 98 fraternal twin pairs had both been diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer.

The researchers say that their findings suggest that some of the increased risk of melanoma can be attributed to genes and in interactions between genes. They estimate that genes account for about half of the differences in risk between two people.

(via Reuters)