A Useful Simple Selection Criterion for HNPCC Patient Selection

Abstract

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an important clinical entity. Due to several clinical features such as its relatively high incidence and the occurrence of multiple cancers at a relatively young age, early diagnosis will benefit the patients and their families. However, the selection which is generally performed at present is insufficient. We propose a simple selection criterion for clinical use. We examined 372 colorectal cancer cases which underwent surgery in our department from January 2003 to May 2007. Ninety-five cases were selected based on our criteria; 25 cases underwent gene counseling, 18 cases received genetic screening after counseling. Seven of the 18 patients had HNPCC-related genetic abnormality. Our selection criterion is useful for selecting patients.