Hereditary Gastrointestinal Polyposis and Nonpolyposis Syndromes

Abstract

Colon cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in men and women in the United States.¹ There is a 6 percent lifetime risk of colon cancer in the general population.¹ Approximately 160,000 new cases arise every year, and despite advances in detection and therapy, 60,000 people die of colon cancer and its complications each year.² Epidemiologic studies have implicated environmental factors in the pathogenesis of the disease. Support for these findings comes from the wide variations in the incidence of colon cancer among different populations.³ In Western societies, with diets high in fat and low in fiber, the rates . . .