The vast majority of colon cancers develop in people who have no family history of the disease. However, about five to ten percent of colorectal cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation.
The two major subtypes of hereditary colon cancer are called Lynch Syndrome also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). People with FAP have hundreds, or even thousands, of polyps that coat the inside of their colon. Because of this, without treatment, all patients with FAP will go on to develop colon cancer.
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