Q: Dear Dr. Recipi, is it true that colorectal cancer can be caused by genetic factors? Are there screening tests that can allow early diagnosis?
A: There are rare hereditary forms, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and non-polypoid colorectal cancer hereditary (HNPCC) that may be a predisposition to colorectal cancer. These are diseases which are transmitted from carrier parents of specific genetic alterations and they may not result in any symptoms. Knowledge of these transmitted genetic mutations provide the opportunity to devise genetic tests that can identify genetic alteration for developing the disease early on. By adding new factors to the process for prevention, early diagnosis and therapy can be performed.
