The Importance of Screening for Hereditary Colon Cancer Syndromes [Featured Topic]
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 102,480 new cases of colon cancer diagnosed in 2013, with hereditary colon cancer syndromes accounting for approximately 10 percent of those cases. It's important to identify the hereditary colon cancer cases because of the important ramifications for the affected individual and their family members.
Hereditary colon cancer screening can help identify genetic mutations in presymptomatic or asymptomatic individuals within the family, and allow clinicians to utilize early screening and monitoring options that optimize potential for early detection.
Matthew Ferber, Ph.D., Director of Mayo Clinic's Molecular Genetics Laboratory, discusses the incidence of hereditary colon cancer syndromes and how screening can benefit patients, as well identify presymptomatic and asymptomatic members within their family.