September 22, 2023- Researchers from Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered new genetic markers to identify Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal cancer with high accuracy.
Studies are underway to determine if these genetic markers are in stool samples and, if so, how this could lead to a non-invasive screening option for patients with Lynch syndrome. Their research was published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Lynch syndrome is an inherited genetic condition that significantly increases the risk of multiple cancers, most notably colorectal and uterine cancers. Approximately 1 in 300 people have Lynch syndrome, many of whom are unaware of it. Patients with Lynch syndrome undergo colonoscopies annually to detect and remove pre-cancerous lesions that can form colorectal cancer, in addition to undergoing invasive tests or prophylactic surgery to prevent uterine cancer.