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- [Narrator] About 10% of all colon cancers
have a genetic component to them,
which means that carriers may be in danger
of passing the condition to their children.
Experts at the University of Michigan
Comprehensive Cancer Center say that counseling
and screening for genetic predisposition
may help to save lives.
- Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers
in the United States and the good news about colon cancer is
that it's largely preventable.
There are more than 150,000 cases
of colorectal cancer diagnosed
in the United States each year.
The vast majority of colon cancer is not caused
by inherited susceptibility,
but among the 10% of individuals who have a family history
of colorectal cancer we are actually able
to identify a genetic basis for it in about 3 to 6%.
- I went to the doctor.
He ordered a colonoscopy
and they found like thousands of polyps in my colon
and he knew right then and there it was
familial adenoma polyposis.
I came to find out that my grandfather, my mom's dad,
died of colon cancer, the FAP,
and then my mom's brother who had FAP died
at a young age also.
- For people who are concerned
about a family history of cancer,
it's often helpful to talk to your doctor
about whether or not genetic counseling would be beneficial.
Genetic testing for colon cancer should be considered
in anybody that's diagnosed with colon cancer
before the age of 50.
In addition, anybody who's diagnosed with colon cancer
and has two or more additional family members
with colon cancer should also be considered
for genetic counseling.
We're aware of two conditions, specifically,
that have a very well defined genetic basis.
The first of those is a condition called FAP,
which is a condition that's characterized
by thousands of polyps,
which carpet the colon and it's associated
with a very high risk of cancer.
The second condition is called Lynch syndrome
and Lynch syndrome really is not associated
with a lot of polyps at least in terms of number,
but the risk of colon cancer in Lynch syndrome
is quite high.
The best way to recognize Lynch syndrome is actually
to look at a family history and see whether or not
there are three or more family members
who have been diagnosed with colon cancer
and a second clue that's helpful
for recognizing Lynch syndrome is
to recognize whether or not any family members
have been diagnosed with colon cancer before the age of 50.
Young onset colon cancer is one of the clues
to inherited susceptibility to cancer.
- I have three children and I was very concerned
that they would carry the gene.
I did have my children tested, genetically tested,
and they come up that they didn't carry the FAP gene.
- There's an active research program
at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
and we're making excellent progress in terms
of developing new strategies for reducing the risk
of colorectal cancer.
This is actually taking place in several different ways.
The first is trying to identify those people who are
at an increased risk.
We have a colon cancer registry,
which allows us to identify families
who are at an increased risk
and this is offering a great opportunity
for us to learn more about those families
who have familial susceptibility.
We are about to launch a new study
that allows us to estimate the risk
of developing colorectal cancer
using computer simulating models.
These models will allows us to tailor
how often people should get colonoscopies
on the basis of their family history,
the number of cancers within the family,
and the ages at which they're diagnosed.
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