Types of Inherited Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is becoming more common. There would be around 125,000 new cases diagnosed in America this year. Many of these cases are in people more than 50 years old and also are random. A small percentage, approximately 10%, however are not random, they have an inherited form of Colorectal cancer. This could be caused by four different hereditary conditions, hereditary non-polyposis Colorectal cancer, familial adenomatous polyposis, juvenile polyposis (this might also be nonhereditary) and also Peutz-Jegher syndrome.

Colorectal cancer is caused by damage to the genes in your own colon cells. These damages could lead to the cells to grow unrestricted. This unrestricted growth becomes a polyp, which would become cancerous whether it is not removed. Usually it takes a long time for polyps to develop and also even longer to become cancerous. That is the reaon Colorectal cancer is rare in people less than 50 years old. The cases in people less than 50 are frequently caused by the inherited condition.

Inherited Colorectal cancers are difficult to accurately diagnose. It is first considered when a people have a strong family history of Colorectal cancer and also the affected family members are from separate generations. For instance - a man has two uncles and also a cousin that have been diagnosed; this would be a strong family history. With a bit of research into that patient family tree, many more cases of Colorectal cancer might be found and also documented.

The two most common inherited Colorectal cancers are hereditary non-polyposis Colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and also familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Recently the genes that cause each of these conditions were identified and also now a blood test has been developed that tells you whether you have inherited the disease. Thanks to these blood tests, a people who have inherited the disease could start getting tested for Colorectal cancer at an earlier age than most people. This early testing enables physicians to catch the disease in the early stages, when it is most treatable. It also allows a doctor to determine whether a course of chemoprevention is appropriate, or whether other prevention strategies are more appropriate.

Hereditary non-polyposis Colorectal cancer occurs when the gene damage interferes with cell repair. HNPCC causes about 5% of all Colorectal cancer diagnoses, but it could lead to other cancers as well. HNPCC could also lead to cancers in the urinary system (kidney, bladder, or ureter), the female reproductive system (uterus, endometrium, or ovaries), or the rest of the gastrointestinal tract (the stomach, small intestine, or pancreas). A people with HNPCC has an 80% chance of developing Colorectal cancer. Even with this high risk, regular checkups and also cancer screenings could save your own life by preventing or catching cancer early on.

Familial adenomatous polyposis causes hundreds, even thousands, of polyps to develop in a people digestive tract. Because a people affected by FAP starts developing colon polyps at an early age - he or she often develops Colorectal cancer by age 40, ten years earlier than most physicians even start screening for it. This is the reaon it is recommended that people with a family history get the blood test for FAP.

Not much is known about the juvenile polyposis. Some forms of juvenile polyposis are hereditary, but there is not a commercial genetic test yet. The only test available is used strictly for the research purposes. Juvenile polyposis often causes polyps in the colon and also small intestine. Whether there are any symptoms present, they are usually caused by the polyps in the colon. Surgery is often the advised treatment in such cases.

Peutz-Jegher syndrome is a genetic condition that causes intestinal polyps and also freckles on the skin of the mouth. There are no recorded cases of Peutz-Jegher freckles developing into skin cancer. The main risk of Colorectal cancer comes from the intestinal polyps. These polyps are usually found in the small intestine and also could become so large that they lead to an intestinal blockage. Around half of all Peutz-Jegher sufferers require surgery for a blockage by the age of 20. Peutz-Jegher has also been associated with an increased risk of other cancers and also it is recommended that all Puetz-Jegher sufferers start cancer screenings at an earlier age than the general population.