Genetic test would help ’cut cancer spread’

  Screening families of patients with bowel cancer for a genetic condition would help cut their risk of developing bowel, womb, and ovarian cancers, new University research has found. In a major study, Dr Ian Frayling School of Medicine and researchers from the University of Exeter's Medical School assessed the effectiveness of introducing a UK-wide screening programme for a genetic condition known as Lynch Syndrome. Lynch syndrome is a caused by small mutations in the genes. The condition increases the risk of people developing cancer, particularly bowel cancer and cancers of the womb and ovaries later in life. Without testing cancers, it is not obvious that they are caused by Lynch syndrome, and so it is often not diagnosed. It is responsible for around 1 in 12 cases of people aged under 50 and around a third of people with the disease develop bowel cancer by the time they are 70, if no action is taken. It is responsible for around one in 12 cases of people aged under 50 and around a third of people with the disease develop bowel cancer by the time they are 70, if no action is taken.