NICE recommends wider use of tests to detect cancer-causing genetic condition
NICE has published diagnostics guidance recommending that everyone who is diagnosed with colorectal cancer should be tested for an inherited genetic condition called Lynch syndrome (LS).
LS is the most common cause of hereditary bowel cancer and people with it also have an increased risk of developing other cancers including womb, ovarian and stomach. Testing for the condition helps to identify whether the patient’s family may also be at increased risk of cancer, meaning they could be monitored more closely if needed.
The guidance recommends that microsatellite instability (MSI) testing or immunohistochemistry (IHC) should be used to detect abnormalities that might mean the presence of LS.
