Screening every new colon cancer patient for a particular familial disorder extends lives at a reasonable cost, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said. The team hopes the results will encourage more medical centers to adopt widespread screening policies. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of colorectal tumors are caused by a heritable condition called Lynch syndrome, which greatly increases the odds of colon and other cancers in a person’s lifetime. Siblings and children of someone with Lynch syndrome each have a 50 percent chance of carrying the mutation, so the first diagnosis in a family reveals the risk for many relatives. But early detection can save lives.
