Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition that raises the lifetime risk of several cancers, most importantly cancer of the colon and rectum and cancer of the uterus. It is caused by a change in one of five genes: MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and EPCAM. It was once called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, or HNPCC, and …
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Mismatch repair (MMR) and microsatellite instability (MSI) testing tell doctors whether the DNA repair system inside a cancer is working properly. When that system breaks down, cancer cells accumulate many genetic errors, and those errors are exactly what can make the cancer respond to a powerful type of treatment called immunotherapy. The same test matters …
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HER2 — also known as ERBB2 — is a gene that drives the growth of cancer cells when it is overactive. Although HER2 amplification is best known in breast and gastric cancers, it also occurs in colorectal cancer and, until recently, was a finding without a dedicated treatment. That has changed substantially. Two HER2-targeted therapies …
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A BRAF mutation is found in approximately 8 to 12% of colorectal cancers and identifies a biologically distinct subtype of the disease with its own treatment implications. The great majority of BRAF mutations in colorectal cancer are a specific change called V600E. This mutation carries two important clinical consequences: it predicts that standard anti-EGFR targeted …
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KRAS and NRAS are two of the most commonly tested genes in colorectal cancer. When either gene carries a mutation — a change that causes it to malfunction — the result has direct consequences for your treatment plan. Most importantly, KRAS and NRAS mutations predict that a class of targeted drugs called anti-EGFR therapy will …
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Mismatch repair (MMR) and microsatellite instability (MSI) testing are among the most important biomarker tests performed on colorectal cancers. Every colorectal cancer — whether found on a biopsy or in a surgical specimen — should be tested for this biomarker. The results tell your doctor whether your cancer’s DNA repair system is working normally or …
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A colonoscopy is the most common procedure for examining the large intestine, which includes the colon and rectum. During a colonoscopy, your doctor may remove tissue samples or entire growths from the lining of the colon and send them to a pathology laboratory for examination. The resulting pathology report describes what was found and can …
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Adenocarcinoma can sometimes develop within a colon or rectal polyp. A polyp is a growth that projects from the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Most polyps are benign (non-cancerous), but some types have the potential to develop into cancer over time. When a cancer starts in a polyp and invades deeper layers of …
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Medullary carcinoma is a rare subtype of colorectal cancer. Like other types of colon and rectal cancer, it starts from the cells lining the inner surface of the bowel. However, medullary carcinoma has a very distinctive appearance under the microscope. Instead of forming the gland-like structures typical of most colorectal cancers, the tumor cells grow …
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Mucinous adenocarcinoma is a distinct subtype of colorectal cancer. It is called “mucinous” because at least 50% of the tumor is composed of a gel-like substance called mucin. Mucin is normally produced in small amounts by the cells lining the inside of the colon, but in mucinous adenocarcinoma, cancer cells produce it in large quantities. …
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