Title: Hereditary Non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer
(HNPCC) - Dr Julian Barwell
Description: This podcast is based on Hereditary Non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer
otherwise known as Lynch Syndrome. It discusses its inheritance and provides
basic information for people with the condition or that have a family history of it
or other related cancers.
Transcript:
This podcast is for patients who have either got a family history or personal history
of bowel or gynaecological tumours, which might suggest the inherited condition
Hereditary Non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer syndrome or HNPCC for short HNPPC
and tumour block analysis
HNPCC is sometimes called Lynch syndrome and is a condition that increases your
risk of developing certain types of tumours particularly endometrial or womb cancer
in women and bowel cancer in both men and women.
It is one of the most common inherited cancer predisposing conditions and is
inherited in an autosomal dominant manner meaning that if one of your parents is
affected there is a 50/50 chance you will also inherit this gene change associated
with this condition.
HNPCC is caused by the inheritance of an alteration in one of the proofreading genes
and there are a number of different genes that can be associated with this condition.
To determine if you have inherited an alteration in one of these proofreading genes,
we often carry out tumour block analysis.
When a tumour is operated on a small piece is kept and can be analysed at a later
date. When HNPCC is suspected in a family, tumours from either a person with
cancer or a relative who has previously had cancer can be analysed. Tumours can be
examined to determine whether there is an abnormality in the genes responsible for
repairing errors. These are the proof reading genes. This can help to determine
which genes should be looked at in a blood sample taken from an affected member
of the family. If there is no blood sample available from an affected family member,
it is very difficult to diagnose HNPCC.
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