Genetics is becoming increasingly important to public health practice.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and other institutions have developed a new prediction model for genetic defects known as Lynch syndrome, which predisposes families to developing colorectal cancer.
It can assess a person’s probability of carrying a particular defect within so-called mismatch repair genes. The study is published in the September 27, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
One of the lead researchers states that Genetic defects can be passed from parents to their children; as a result, colon cancer runs in families. This new model will help identify individuals likely to have particular genetic defects. The results will give them useful information about their colon cancer risk before they decide whether to undergo invasive screenings or expensive genetic testing
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