Be aware of the RED FLAGS!

Lynch syndrome and inherited polyposis syndromes are caused by genetic mutations that run in families and can increase your lifetime chance of getting colorectal cancer to 80% or higher.

Were you or a family member…

• Diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer before 50
• Diagnosed with uterine/endometrial cancer before 50
• Have had 10 or more colon polyps over a lifetime
• Two or more same-side family members diagnosed with colon, rectal or other Lynch-related cancers at any age (brain, breast, biliary tract, kidney, melanoma, ovarian, pancreas, small bowel, stomach, or uterine/endometrial)

Dig up your family’s cancer history. If you or your biological relatives meet any of the above criteria, you may be at high risk for colorectal cancer and could benefit from a cancer genetics evaluation. Talk to your doctor or call our toll-free Answer Line at 877-427-2111.

Use family gatherings as an opportunity to talk about your health history

These free downloadable documents will help you get started.

• 5 Questions to Ask Your Family
• Is Cancer Lurking in Your Family Tree?
• Lynch Syndrome: All in the Family

• Webinar recording: “Talking Turkey About Lynch Syndrome,” featuring patient Brian Mansfield, his doctor Bill Harb and genetics expert Heather Hampel
• The Hereditary Cancer Quiz by Myriad Genetics
• National Institutes of Health
• American Society of Clinical Oncology
• FamilyPLZ
• Webinar recording: “Does Colorectal Cancer Run in Your Family,” featuring Dr. Henry Lynch and the late Kate Murphy

People with a mutation in the MSH6 gene, part of the Lynch syndrome, have a greatly increased risk of colorectal, endometrial, and other related cancers.  The cancers can occur in old age, with an increasing risk from age 70 to 80.

About 4 in every 1000 colorectal cancers are due to an inherited mutation in the MSH6 gene.  It accounts for about 10 to 20 percent of Lynch syndrome mutations.

By the time they are 80 years old, men have eight times the risk of getting colorectal cancer and women have 26 times the risk of endometrial cancer — cancer that begins in the lining of the uterus.

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