Work

Lessons From Lynch Syndrome: A Tumor Biology-Based Approach to Familial Colorectal Cancer

Year: 2010

Type: review

Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops within precursor lesions in the single-celled epithelial lining of the gut. The two most common epithelial lesions are the adenoma and the serrated polyp. CRC is also one of the most familial of the common cancers, and just as there are syndromes associated with increased risk of CRC arising in adenomas, there are also syndromes with increased CRC risk associated with serrated polyps. In this article, we describe the features of such a syndrome, familial serrated neoplasia, which distinguish it from the well-characterized condition Lynch syndrome (or hereditary nonpolyposis CRC), and show that the molecular pathology of tumors forms the basis for this distinction. Lynch syndrome CRC arises almost exclusively within adenomatous precursor lesions, in contrast with familial serrated neoplasia where at least half of the cancers develop in serrated polyps. Finally, rare families exist in which both conditions segregate independently, producing a difficult diagnostic picture.

Source: Future Oncology

DOI: 10.2217/fon.10.16

Authors: Daniel D Buchanan, Aedan Roberts, Michael D Walsh, Susan Parry, Joanne P Young

Institutions: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland City Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Genetic factors in colorectal cancer

Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Cancer Institute