The Department of Colon & Rectal Surgery at Lahey Clinic has established the Hereditary Colon and Rectal Cancer Registry as a resource for patients and families with an increased risk of hereditary colon cancer. One of the goals of the Registry is to provide specialized genetic counseling and genetic testing, when indicated.
There are several features of a family history that should raise the suspicion of a hereditary colon cancer syndrome:
- A personal or family history of colon cancer diagnosed at an unusually young age (<50 years)
- A personal or family history of colonic polyps diagnosed at an unusually young age (<45 years) or in large numbers (>10 polyps)
- The presence of distinctive extra-colonic cancers, such as uterine cancer and colon cancer, in a family
An initial cancer genetic counseling session typically lasts one hour. During this session, a genetic counselor will ask detailed questions about your personal medical history and the medical history of your family members. The family tree (pedigree) is a useful tool for determining the likelihood that the cancer in the family is due to a hereditary cancer predisposition gene. The session will include a discussion of cancer genetics and the purpose of genetic testing, including advantages and disadvantages of pursuing genetic testing. Other topics that are often discussed in the initial session include potential genetic discrimination concerns and current legal protections, risks to other family members and screening recommendations.
If an individual decides to pursue genetic testing, a genetic counselor will help facilitate the testing. Follow-up appointments are often necessary to discuss the results of the genetic test and typically last up to 30 minutes.
Please click here to learn about basic genetics principles and for information about specific hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes.
To schedule an appointment with a genetic counselor, please call 781-744-3982.
To learn more about the Hereditary Colon and Rectal Cancer Registry, please contact the Registry coordinator at 781-744-8987.
To learn more, please review the Familial Cancer Risk Assessment Center brochure and the Hereditary Colon brochure.
