(hu-RED-i-tare-ee non-pah-li-PO-sis) A hereditary type of colorectal cancer that usually affects people at a relatively young age who have not developed many polyps. Women with this condition also have an increased risk of developing cancer of the endometrium (lining of the upper part of the uterus).
(huh-REH-dih-tare-ee non-pahl-ih-POE-sis koe-leh-REK-tuhl KAN-ser) Inherited disorder in which affected individuals have an increased chance of developing colon cancer and certain other types of cancer, usually before the age of 60. Also called Lynch syndrome.
A rare, genetic condition that greatly increases an individual's risk of colorectal cancer. For most people, polyps are not associated with HNPCC.
People with this condition are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer without first having many polyps.
Autosomal dominantly inherited disease predisposing to colorectal cancer on a site-specific basis (Lynch syndrome I) and in association with a variety of extracolonic cancers (carcinoma of the endometrium, ovary, stomach, small bowel, and pancreas, and transitional-cell carcinoma) of the ureter and renal pelvis (Lynch syndrome II). Genes identified in this syndrome include hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1, and hPMS2.
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome, is characterized by an increased risk of colorectal cancer and other cancers such as endometrium, ovary, stomach, small intestine, hepatobiliary tract, upper urinary tract, brain, and skin. HNPCC is subdivided into Lynch Syndrome I (familial colon cancer) and Lynch Syndrome II (HNPCC associated with other cancer of the gastrointestinal system or the reproductive system). The increased risk for cancer is due to inherited mutations that degrade the self-repair capability of DNA.
