The following is an excerpt from the as yet unpublished Cambridge meeting. The paper has just been accepted by the Journal of Medical Genetics and will be published early in the new year.
“There is also emerging evidence for an increased risk of colon cancer in HDGC families, and these colon cancers can display signet ring cell features (personal communications David Huntsman and Paul Pharoah). In CDH1 families in which colon cancer is reported information should be collected concerning the age at diagnosis, whether the affected member(s) are first or second degree relatives and whether the pathology was mucinous or showed signet ring cells. Depending on these factors enhanced screening should be considered with colonoscopy beginning at age 40 or 10 years younger than the youngest diagnosis of colon cancer, whichever is younger, and repeated at intervals of 3-5 years. It is imperative that data on colonoscopic screening in these individuals is collated so that these guidelines can be evidenced based in the future”.
Fitzgerald et al (2010) J.Med. Genet. in press.
Know your family history. Be proactive. Talk to your doctor about the health screenings that are appropriate for you.
