Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer; HNPCC) is an autosomal-dominant cancer predisposition syndrome that increases risk for multiple cancers, including colon, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.
The aim of our study was to identify persons at a high risk of hereditary colorectal cancer and to estimate their risk of colon and other HNPCC-associated tumours.
Age at diagnosis was younger both in regard to first cancer (40 v 43 years; P < .009) and to first colorectal cancer (CRC; 41 v 44 years; P = .004) in MLH1 (n = 435) versus MSH2 (n = 553) mutation carriers.
Overall, the penetrance of colorectal cancer appears to be significantly decreased (p<0.001) among the MSH6 mutation carriers in this family when compared with MSH2 and MLH1 carriers (32% by the age of 80 v >80%).
We examined 18 unrelated individuals who have colorectal cancer or cancers associated with the HNPCC syndrome and have a family history of cancer for mutations in exon 13 of the hMSH2 gene.
Affected relatives of patients with hMLH1 mutations showed a significantly higher frequency of colorectal cancer but a lower frequency of endometrium cancer than those with hMSH2 mutations.
On average, one in 71 male and one in 102 female MLH1 or MSH2 mutation carriers in their 20s will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the next 5 years.
One hundred and twenty unselected patients who underwent curative resection for sporadic colorectal cancer in a three-year period were evaluated for microsatellite instability (MSI) using six microsatellite markers, and for the presence of Fhit and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins (Mlh1 and Msh2) by means of immunostaining.
Germ-line mutations in the DNA mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 predispose to the development of colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer).
We genotyped the MLH1 and MSH2 genes in patients suffering from Lynch syndrome and in 11 unrelated patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and had subsequently undergone surgery.
To investigate the frequency of germline alterations of the DNA MMR genes hMLH1 and hMSH2 among African Americans affected by HNPCC and early-age onset colorectal cancer.
In Denmark, the national HNPCC register has been granted an exception to send unsolicited letters with information on hereditary colorectal cancer and an invitation to genetic counseling to members of families with familial and hereditary colorectal cancer.