Changes to This Summary (02/03/2012)

The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.

Introduction ¹

Updated statistics ² with estimated new colorectal cancer cases and deaths for 2012 (cited American Cancer Society as reference 1).

This section was comprehensively reviewed and extensively revised.

Genetic Polymorphisms and Colorectal Cancer Risk ³

Added text ⁴ to state that of BLM^Ash, the GH1 1663 T→A polymorphism, and APC I1307K, the variant that has been most extensively studied is APC I1307K; yet, neither it nor any of the other variants mentioned above are routinely used in clinical practice.

Added text ⁵ to state that studies in additional populations are needed before polymorphisms that may affect the expression of mismatch repair (MMR) genes are deemed useful and introduced into clinical practice.

Major Genetic Syndromes ⁶

Added Gonçalves et al. as reference 176 ⁷.

Added Levin et al., U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and Rex et al. as references 352, 353, and 354 ⁸, respectively. Also added text to state that these guidelines address screening issues related to modest family history of colorectal cancer or adenomas; given the heterogeneity of this grouping, it is beyond the scope of this more targeted discussion of major gene conditions.

Psychosocial Issues in Hereditary Colon Cancer Syndromes: Lynch Syndrome and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis ⁹

Added text ¹⁰ about a study that evaluated the prevalence of generalized psychological distress, distress related specifically to familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and cancer-related worries among individuals from FAP families (cited Douma et al. as reference 61).

Added text ¹¹ about a study of MMR mutation carriers with and without a prior Lynch syndrome–related cancer diagnosis that found that those who did not undergo colonoscopy for surveillance within 6 months after receiving genetic test results were six times more likely to report clinically significant depressive symptoms (cited Hadley et al. as reference 68).

Added text ¹² about a cross-sectional study of 209 adults with FAP who had undergone prophylactic colorectal surgery that found that 91% of participants reported at least one symptom from the Abdominal Symptom Questionnaire within the previous 3 months (cited Fritzell et al. as reference 77). Also added text about a population-based study in which 54% of participants reported at least one abdominal symptom (cited Agréus et al. as reference 78).