A father and his two sons were diagnosed with the same type of cancer. This is the culprit! If your family members have these conditions, please be alert.

According to the Morning News, recently, three people, a father and two sons from Ningbo, were diagnosed with the same cancer one after another, which attracted media attention.

Zhang's family's nightmare began five years ago: that year, he was diagnosed with colon cancer ; after that, his second son had a colonoscopy and found early cancer lesions ; his third son went to the doctor for bloody stools and was also diagnosed with colon cancer ...

Father and son diagnosed with colon cancer

Mr. Zhang is 70 years old this year. Five years ago, his family sent him to the local health center for treatment because he suddenly became thin and pale . At that time, they thought it was just a symptom caused by fatigue, so they didn't investigate further. They just prescribed some Chinese medicine to replenish blood and qi and let him go home to recuperate.
But after a month or two, Zhang's symptoms not only did not improve, but gradually worsened. One time, he fell down when he was using the toilet due to dizziness, and almost caused an accident. Therefore, the family did not dare to neglect it and rushed Zhang to the hospital. The CT results showed that there was a mass on Zhang's colon, which was highly suspected to be a malignant tumor of the colon . Further colonoscopy confirmed that Zhang had colon cancer .

After careful preoperative planning, the operation was carried out as scheduled. After the operation, Mr. Zhang recovered smoothly, his complexion began to turn rosy, and his weight gradually increased. Before being discharged from the hospital, the doctor learned that Mr. Zhang had four sons, none of whom had ever undergone a gastroscopy, and suggested that they check as soon as possible.

The second son listened to the advice and made an appointment for a colonoscopy shortly after his father was discharged from the hospital. Unexpectedly, he was found to have a huge colon polyp during the examination without any signs. According to the microscopic appearance of the polyp, it was considered that this "polyp" had already become cancerous .

Not long after, the third son, who was in his early 30s, also developed the same symptoms as his father did, so he rushed to the hospital for treatment. Sure enough, he was also diagnosed with colon cancer.

This genetic disease

Average age of onset: 44 years

Three members of his family were diagnosed with colon cancer one after another, which was a big blow to Mr. Zhang.

The symptoms of Zhang's family made the doctor highly suspect that it might be Lynch syndrome . At his suggestion, Zhang and his two sons underwent genetic testing, and the results confirmed the suspicion.

The doctor explained that Lynch syndrome, also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by mismatch repair gene defects, which makes people susceptible to colorectal cancer and other malignant tumors.

How heritable is the disease? "In this inheritance pattern, just having one gene mutation may increase the risk of developing the disease. If one of the spouses has the mutation, the probability of each of the offspring carrying the mutation is 50%. "

Most Lynch syndrome patients inherit it from their parents. Among them, ** is most closely associated with colorectal cancer, with a lifetime cancer risk of up to 82% for mutation carriers, with an average age of onset of 44 years. In addition, it also causes a lifetime risk of endometrial cancer of about 60% for women, with an average age of onset of about 50 years; the risk of gastric cancer is about 13%, with an average age of onset of 56 years.

These people should be screened regularly

Is this fate unbreakable? Not at all. Lynch syndrome is preventable and treatable, and early intervention can prevent the next generation from repeating the tragedy of the previous generation.

Doctors remind that if Lynch syndrome has been diagnosed or if a direct relative has colorectal cancer or reproductive system tumors , it is recommended that the patient and family members undergo regular screening.

Colorectal cancer screening: Lynch syndrome patients who carry MLH1 or MSH2 gene mutations should start colonoscopy at the age of 20 to 25. If a family member has had a tumor before the age of 25, the initial screening age should be advanced by 2 to 5 years; and examinations should be performed every 1-2 years.

Gastric cancer screening: It is recommended that patients undergo gastroscopy every 3 to 5 years starting from the age of 30 to 35.

Endometrial cancer screening: For women with gene mutations, starting from the age of 30-35, it is recommended to have an endometrial biopsy every 1-2 years, and to regularly perform ultrasound examinations of the bilateral adnexal areas of the uterus and serum CA125 tests, with special attention paid to abnormal uterine bleeding. For women with gene mutations who have no fertility needs, preventive hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy can be considered.