Initial risk analysis

The information collected during the first appointment(s) permits an initial calculation of the person’s disease risk.

It is crucial that you understand that this assessment cannot tell whether you will develop colorectal cancer in the future. It can only find your risk of that happening.

The analysis is necessary, especially in HNPCC, where the disease can be associated with different characteristics (e.g., type of tumors, the age of diagnosis, number of relatives affected by cancer or adenomas) in different families.

Risk stratification – the process to identify someone’s chance of developing a disease by analyzing his or her medical history.

Using specific software, the doctor makes a stratified risk calculation that:

• Assesses whether the family fits the definition of "high-risk family";
• Estimates the risk of cancer for the person being studied;
• Calculates the likelihood of mutations in genes linked to the cancer.

The result is given in probabilities.

Depending on the values estimated, your doctor may suggest a  genetic test .