Hereditary Risk Factors for Colon and Rectal Cancer
Approximately 10% of colon and rectal cancers are hereditary, which means they are caused by an inherited gene mutation that runs in the family. Genetic counselors are available at Piedmont Oncology to help determine if genetic testing for inherited colon cancer risk would benefit you and your family.
If you or a close family member (on either side of the family) have had any of the following, you may benefit from genetic counseling for colon cancer risk:
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Colon cancer diagnosed at a young age (50 or younger)
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Multiple separate colon cancers, or colon cancer and another form of cancer, in the same person
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Colon cancer (at any age), as well as a family history of colon, uterine, ovarian, stomach, pancreatic, breast, thyroid, kidney and/or other cancers
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Tumor studies showing mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency or microsatellite instability (MSI)
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Multiple colon polyps (i.e. 10+ cumulative polyps) or rare colon polyps (i.e. hamartomatous polyps)
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Colon cancer diagnosed after age 50 – genetic counseling/testing may be considered
Contact a Genetic Counselor
Ask your doctor about colon cancer genetic risk assessment, or contact our genetics team at 404-425-7300. For more information about our genetics program, counseling and testing, explore our additional resources below: