8.+Learning+About+Colon+Cancer

Learning about colon cancer. (2009, February). Retrieved August 18, 2009, from National Human Genome Research Institute Web site: []

What Colon Cancer Is-


 * “Colon cancer, a malignant tumor of the large intestine, affects both men and women.”**

Hereditary-

(In familial adenomatous polyposis) ”So far, only one FAP gene has been discovered - the APC gene on chromosome 5. But over 300 different mutations of that gene have been identified. Individuals with this syndrome develop many polyps in their colon. People who inherit mutations in this gene have a nearly 100 percent chance of developing colon cancer by age 40.”


 * (In hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) ”Individuals with an HNPCC gene mutation have an estimated 80 percent lifetime risk of developing colon or rectal cancer. However, these cancers account for only three to five percent of all colorectal cancers.”**