Abstract
Colon cancer, the third leading cause of mortality from cancer in the United States, afflicts about 150,000 patients annually. More than 10% of these patients exhibit familial clustering. The most common and well characterized of these familial colon cancer syndromes is hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer syndrome (Lynch syndrome), which accounts for about 2% to 3% of all cases of colon cancer in the United States. We review the current knowledge of familial cancer syndromes, with an emphasis on Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis.
MeSH terms
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Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* / diagnosis
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Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* / epidemiology
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Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* / genetics
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Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
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Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis* / diagnosis
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Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis* / epidemiology
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Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis* / genetics
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DNA Mismatch Repair*
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DNA, Neoplasm / genetics*
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Genetic Testing / methods*
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Humans
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Morbidity / trends
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Mutation / genetics*
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Survival Rate / trends
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United States / epidemiology
Substances
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Biomarkers, Tumor
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DNA, Neoplasm