Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer, affecting about 150,000 people in the United States each year.
As many as 10% of colorectal cancer patients have an inherited gene mutation that caused their illness.
The most common cause of hereditary colorectal cancer is Lynch syndrome, a condition that affects roughly 1 million people in the United States.
What is Lynch Syndrome?
Lynch syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation passed from parents to children.
People with Lynch syndrome often have a family history of cancer and are diagnosed at a younger-than-average age.
Lynch syndrome increases a person’s chances of developing several different types of cancer—especially colorectal and endometrial (uterine) cancer.
Genetic counseling and testing can tell you if you have an inherited mutation linked to Lynch syndrome. Results of testing may make you eligible for certain types of screening, prevention and treatment.
Could I Have Lynch Syndrome?
Lynch syndrome is caused by a mutation in one of five genes. It’s important to know whether your colorectal cancer or the colorectal cancer in your family could be caused by Lynch syndrome. Taking the following quiz can help you determine if genetic counseling and testing are right for you.
If you have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer:
- Do you have a blood relative who has tested positive for a Lynch syndrome mutation?
- Were you diagnosed before age 50?
- Have you or a relative been diagnosed with another Lynch syndrome-related cancer?
- Endometrial
- Ovarian
- Pancreatic
- Stomach or small intestine
- Do you have two or more relatives who have been diagnosed with a Lynch syndrome-related cancer at any age?
- Have you had tumor testing that found an abnormality known as “Mismatch Repair Deficiency” (dMMR or MMR-d) or “Microsatellite Instability-High” (MSI-High)? These tumor test results are more common in people with Lynch syndrome.
If you have not been diagnosed with colorectal cancer:
- Do you have a first-degree or second-degree relative who has been diagnosed with colorectal or endometrial cancer before the age of 50?
- Do you have a blood relative who has tested positive for a Lynch syndrome mutation?
- Do you have multiple family members with colorectal, endometrial or another Lynch syndrome-related cancer?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, ask your doctor about genetic counseling and testing. A genetic test can help you and your relatives learn if there is an inherited mutation linked to colon cancer in your family.
Learn more about:
Read Wenora Johnson’s story “Learning I had Lynch Syndrome Helped Save My Life.”