How To Treat And Prevent Colon Polyps

Genetic Counseling

An individual affected by certain hereditary conditions that can increase the risk of colon polyp development may benefit from genetic counseling. The most common hereditary condition that causes the development of numerous polyps in the colon is called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Familial adenomatous polyposis is caused by a gene alteration that causes individuals to develop more than several hundred polyps that almost always evolve into malignant tumors. Another hereditary condition that causes the development of hundreds of colon polyps is hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome). Individuals who have hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome is not as likely as an individual with FAP to develop colon cancer from polyps but is much more likely to develop malignancy from a polyp than a healthy individual. Genetic counseling can be used to help an affected individual cope with their diagnosis, when they are considering having children, and when their children need to be screened.