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Shedding more light on the role of genes and environment on cancer incidence, a new study on Nordic twins claims that some cancers carry a greater genetic risk than others.

According to NDTV, the study of more than 200,000 twins from Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark followed between 1943 and 2010, showed that nearly all cancers carry familial risk. Through the study, researchers claim that overall cancer risk attributable to hereditary is 33 percent. The study involved both identical and fraternal twins.

"This long-term follow-up study among Nordic twins, there was significant excess familial risk for cancer overall and for specific types of cancer, including prostate, melanoma, breast, ovary, and uterus. This information about hereditary risks of cancers may be helpful in patient education and cancer risk counselling," researchers concluded in the study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study's researchers found that testicular cancer carries highest familial risks. A man had 28 times higher risk of the cancer if his twin developed it. The risk was 12 times higher for fraternal twins. Prostate cancer, skin cancer, breast and ovarian cancer also showed familial risks while lung, stomach and rectal cancers were tied to environment.

"Because of this study's size and long follow-up, we can now see key genetic effects for many cancers," said Jacob Hjelmborg, from the University of Southern Denmark and study's co-author in a press release.