Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndromes I and II): A common genotype linked to oncogenes?

We hypothesize that: 1) hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNP CC) accounts for a significant proportion of the colon cancer burden; 2) the premalignant colonic mucosa in HNP CC patients may be comparable in many respects to the premalignant polyps in its hereditary multiple adenomatous polyposis counterpart; and finally, 3) study of HNP CC colonic mucosa may harbor important clues for elucidation of the multistep process of carcinogenesis, including relationships between activated oncogenes, genetics, and environmental perturbations.