Smoking Increases Risk for Carriers of HNPCC Gene

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed carriers of two HNPCC mutations to determine what lifestyle factors might increase their risk of developing colorectal cancer.

People who carry the gene mutation(s) linked to hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) are extremely likely to develop colorectal cancer at some point in their lives. In this study, researchers examined how alcohol and tobacco influenced the risk of developing colorectal cancer in carriers of the hMLH1 or hMLH2 mutation, both of which are known to lead to HNPCC.

The study found that alcohol use didn't seem to have much of an impact but tobacco use did. Specifically, men who carried the hMLH1 mutation and used tobacco developed HNPCC earlier than men who carried the hMLH1 mutation and didn't use tobacco.

If you have a family history of colorectal cancer, you should consider getting a genetic test to see if you carry any of the genes related to HNPCC or FAP. This is a particularly good idea if you're a man and you smoke.

_{Source: Watson, P. and Ashwathnarayan, R. "Tobacco Use and Increased Colorectal Cancer Risk in Patients With Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (Lynch Syndrome)." Archives of Internal Medicine 164.22 (Dec. 2004): 2429-2431. 25 Aug. 2006 [http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/22/2429].}