Types of hereditary colon cancer

Colon cancer is more common. There will be about 125,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States this year. Many of these cases occur in people over 50 years and are random. A small percentage, about 10%, however, are not random, have a hereditary form of colon cancer. This could be caused by four different hereditary conditions, hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer hereditary familial adenomatous polyposis, juvenile polyposis (this can also benonhereditary) and Peutz-Jegher.

Colon cancer is caused by damage to genes in cells of the colon. This damage can cause cells to grow without restriction. This unrestricted growth becomes a polyp, which become cancerous if not removed. Usually it takes a long time for polyps to develop and even longer to become cancerous. That is why colon cancer is rare in people younger than 50 years. The cases in less than 50 persons are often caused by aAn inherited condition.

hereditary colon cancers are difficult to diagnose accurately. First, is considered when a person has a family history of cancer and colon affected families are separated by generations. For example - a man has two uncles and a cousin who have been diagnosed, this would be a strong family history. With a little "tree of patient research, in many cases colon cancer can be found and documented.

The twohereditary colon cancer are the most common hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Recently, the genes that cause each of these conditions have been identified and now a blood test has been developed that tells you if you have inherited the disease. Thanks to these blood tests, a person who has inherited the disease can begin to get tested for colon cancer at a younger age than most people. This test allows doctors to capture earlythe disease early when it is most curable. It also allows a doctor to determine if a course of chemoprevention is appropriate, or whether other strategies are most appropriate.

hereditary nonpolyposis cancer gene occurs when the damage interferes with cell repair. HNPCC causes about 5% of colon cancer diagnosis, but can cause other cancers as well. HNPCC can also cause cancer of the urinary system (kidney, bladder or ureter), thefemale reproductive system (uterus, the endometrium, or ovaries), or the rest of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestine or pancreas). A person with HNPCC has an 80% chance of developing colon cancer. Even with this high risk, regular checkups and cancer screening can save lives by preventing or detecting cancer early.

Familial adenomatous polyposis hundreds, even thousands of polyps develop in a person's digestive tract.Why a person with FAP begins developing colon polyps at an early age - he or she often develops colon cancer at the age of 40 years, ten years before most doctors also screening for it. For this reason it is recommended that people with a family history of blood to be tested for FAP.

Not much is known about juvenile polyposis. Some forms of juvenile polyposis are hereditary, but no commercial genetic test yet. The only evidence available is used exclusively forfor research purposes. Juvenile polyposis is a common cause of polyps in the colon and small intestine. If symptoms are present, are usually caused by polyps in the colon. Surgery is often the treatment recommended in these cases.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is a genetic condition that causes intestinal polyps and freckles on the skin of the mouth. There have been no cases of Peutz-Jeghers freckles skin cancer. The main risk of colon cancer derivedfrom intestinal polyps. These polyps are usually found in the small intestine and can become large enough to cause an intestinal blockage. About half of patients with Peutz-Jeghers all require surgery for a block of 20 years of age. Peutz-Jeghers also been associated with an increased risk of other cancers and it is recommended that all cancer screenings Puetz Jegher from an earlier age than the general population.

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