Colon cancer has a genetic susceptibility

There are many clinical cases where the whole family suffers from different types of digestive tract cancers such as colon cancer. This is because although colon cancer is not a hereditary disease, it has a certain genetic susceptibility.

Clinically, there is a type of hereditary adenomatous colon cancer, which is mainly caused by a mutation in a tumor suppressor gene called APC. Many polyps grow in the intestines, and when the polyps develop to a certain extent, they will basically evolve into cancer. The factors that cause colon cancer in this group of people are mostly unrelated to external factors, which means that even if they do not have bad living habits, they will eventually be unable to avoid the fate of colon cancer.

There is also a type of non-polypoid familial hereditary colon cancer. This type of cancer has no clinical signs, and it is impossible to determine whether it is hereditary colon cancer before the onset of the disease. According to family surveys, this type of patient often develops the disease in every generation of the family. The cause of the disease is related to the inactivation of nucleic acid repair genes in human genetic material. People are exposed to many carcinogens in their lives, and these carcinogens will cause damage to nucleic acids, but our bodies have powerful repair functions, and they will be normal after the repair. However, this group of people have problems with the repair genes, and they cannot be repaired after being hit by carcinogens, which leads to the onset of colon cancer.

For those whose relatives (especially first-degree relatives) have colon cancer, if they have blood in their stools, thin stools, changes in bowel habits (increased bowel movements, tenesmus, anal swelling, etc.), or symptoms such as anemia, weight loss, and weakness, they must be vigilant and conduct appropriate examinations in a timely manner. If conditions permit, it is best to have regular physical examinations to facilitate early detection and treatment of tumors.