RESUMO
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC) is the most common hereditary form of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and may account for 5-10% of the total CRC burden. The discovery of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes, inclusive of hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS2, and hMSH6, has enabled the identification of who has and who does not have inordinately increased susceptibility to CRC as well as a litany of extracolonic cancers. Mutation testing has focused on hMSH2 and hMLH1, the most common mutations in HNPCC. The protocol for DNA testing and DNA-based genetic counseling is described in Part I of this study. One hundred ninety-nine bloodline relatives were tested and counseled from five hMLH1 and two hMSH2 families. Their major reason for seeking genetic counseling and DNA testing was to inform their children and other loved ones of their mutation status. Those who sought counseling overestimated their risk for inheriting the mutation and showed a high rate of interest in prophylactic surgery, and many were greatly concerned about insurance discrimination. Knowledge about HNPCC, its molecular genetic diagnosis, surveillance and management opportunities, and genetic counseling implications are still emerging, all in the face of a greater need for physician education regarding all facets of hereditary cancer.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Colorretais Hereditárias sem Polipose/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA , Aconselhamento Genético , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Proteínas de Transporte , Neoplasias Colorretais Hereditárias sem Polipose/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Colorretais Hereditárias sem Polipose/psicologia , Neoplasias Colorretais Hereditárias sem Polipose/cirurgia , Neoplasias Colorretais Hereditárias sem Polipose/terapia , Comunicação , Análise Mutacional de DNA , DNA de Neoplasias , Feminino , Testes Genéticos , Mutação em Linhagem Germinativa , Pesar , Culpa , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Proteína 1 Homóloga a MutL , Proteína 2 Homóloga a MutS , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , Proteínas Nucleares , Relações Médico-Paciente , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/genéticaRESUMO
Hereditary cancer represents approximately 5-10% of the total cancer burden and may account for 60,000 to 120,000 new cancer occurrences this year in the United States. New developments in molecular genetics and the cloning of cancer-prone genes have intensely fueled interest in dealing with hereditary forms of cancer. The authors provide an algorithm that depicts the process for the identification, study, and DNA-based genetic counseling of families being investigated under a research proposal at the Hereditary Cancer Institute of Creighton University School of Medicine. They have studied 56 hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma families; in 18 of them, associated genomic mutations have been identified in affected members. DNA-based genetic counseling has been provided for seven of these families. The authors have also evaluated 131 hereditary breast-ovarian carcinoma families. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation searches have been performed for 76 of these families; BRCA1 mutations were found in 38 families and BRCA2 mutations in 9. The study of cancer-prone families is a powerful approach to cancer control, particularly when the germ-line mutation is identified in the family and individuals at high risk can be tested, once they provide informed consent, and receive DNA-based genetic counseling. Discovery of the germ-line mutation for cancer proneness provides an unparalleled opportunity to predict patients' life-time risk for cancer of specific anatomic sites, inclusive of a pattern of multiple primaries. Surveillance and management protocols, when melded to the particular syndrome's natural history, can be life-saving.
