Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition caused by changes in some genes. People with Lynch syndrome have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, including endometrial and colorectal cancer. Endometrial cancer is cancer of the lining of the womb (uterus). There are ways to reduce the risks of some of these cancers, so it is important to know if people have Lynch syndrome.
NICE has said that testing for Lynch syndrome should be offered when a person is diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Testing is done on tumour tissue by immunohistochemistry, then MLH1 promoter hypermethylation if needed. If the results show that Lynch syndrome is likely, further tests are offered to confirm this.
If a person has Lynch syndrome, they can be monitored for other cancers and their close relatives can be offered testing for Lynch syndrome.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-3894-0
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