Lynch syndrome

Lynch syndrome (or HNPCC) accounts for about 5% of all diagnosed colorectal cancers. This hereditary syndrome is responsible not only for colorectal cancer but also other types, including endometrial (also called uterine or womb cancer) cancer.

Families with Lynch syndrome, characteristically, have several first-degree relatives with cancer, with consecutive generations affected.

Tumors are often diagnosed at a relatively young age – colorectal cancer, for example, at an average age of 45. This pattern in a family does not always mean HNPCC – this evaluation can only be done in the genetic clinic– but is a high-risk family that needs to be assessed by specialists.

Look at the Amsterdam criteria and the Bethesda criteria , which are used to identify families at high-risk of Lynch Syndrome, and learn more about the syndrome here.