Consultation with a Cancer Risk Program professional may be recommended for people who are at risk for colon cancer due to family history or genetically inherited colorectal-cancer syndrome. Physicians with the St. Joseph Hospital Colorectal Program identify patients with features suggestive of hereditary colon cancer syndromes and then refer them to our Cancer Risk Program. The program offers genetic counseling and genetic testing when appropriate to patients and their family members. Medical recommendations, referrals, and risk reduction strategies also are provided based on the level of risk identified for each individual.
Who should consider a genetic risk assessment?
A genetic cancer risk assessment is recommended for patients with a personal or family history of:
- Colon cancer diagnosed under age 50
- 2 or more separate colon cancers
- Colon and uterine or ovarian cancer in the same woman or in close relatives
- 2 or more close relatives with colon cancer
- 10 or more colon polyps