Genetics of Young Onset Colorectal Cancer

In the United States, more than 150, 000 cases of colorectal cancers are diagnosed annually, making colorectal cancers a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Hereditary colorectal cancers are thought to account for up to 30% of the total number, 5% of which have a known genetic background. Colorectal cancers occurring at ages less than 50 are considered young-onset and are thought to make up 2% to 8% of all cases. They are often a hallmark of a hereditary cancer predisposition. This review covers both the major and the less common hereditary syndromes associated with young-onset colorectal cancers and provide a brief overview of current genetic testing guidelines in place. *Corresponding author: Lisa A Boardman, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA, Tel: 507-266-4338; Fax: 507-2660350; E-mail: [email protected] Received December 04, 2013; Accepted December 23, 2013; Published December 25, 2013 Citation: Baichoo E, Boardman LA (2013) Genetics of Young Onset Colorectal Cancer. Genetics 3: 124. doi:10.4172/2161-1041.1000124 Copyright: © 2013 Baichoo E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.