P#1
TaniAlexis
P1.docx3 hours ago
WEEK 1 Main Post
Top of Form
Week 1 Main Post
I chose to focus this post on colon cancer with the factor, genetics. Genetics plays a larger role in cancer diagnoses than a lot of people are aware of. Some genetics testing and syndromes are still not even well known to a lot of practitioners, but hopefully, with more research and education this will become something that is used when testing for certain types of cancers or for being proactive to help prevent it.
The patient scenario I chose is a personal one. My Aunt was diagnosed with colon and gastric cancer. When another of my paternal aunts was diagnosed with colon cancer their oncologist realized that there could be a genetic factor in play. After doing some genetic testing, it was discovered that my aunts had Lynch Syndrome. “Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition that increases your risk of colon cancer, endometrial cancer, and several other cancers. Lynch syndrome has historically been known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)” (Mayo Clinic, 2018). People with Lynch syndrome typically have a higher chance of getting colon, gastric, and endometrial cancers, along with several others. Lynch syndrome also causes people to get cancer at much younger ages than someone without it; For instance, colon cancer before the age of 50. If a family has a history of Lynch syndrome there is a 50/50 chance that their children and grandchildren will have it also.
Colon cancer will typically start as small polyps that are not benign (cancerous), but then become cancerous over time. “It is a multifactorial disease process, with etiology encompassing genetic factors, environmental exposures (including diet), and inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract” (Dragovich, T. 2019). There are many signs and symptoms of colon cancer so it can be difficult to diagnose sometimes, especially since most signs and symptoms do not present early on in the disease process. This is why it is so important to get yearly colonoscopies, especially in people who have Lynch Syndrome. Some of the signs and symptoms patients can experience include changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal pain that is persistent, not feeling like your bowels are emptying enough when you go, unexplained weight loss, and weakness or fatigue with no known cause (Mayo Clinic, 2019).
A large percentage of colorectal cancer develops from preexisting adenomas. However, this does not mean that every adenoma will become malignant. “The earliest phases of colorectal tumourigenesis initiate in the normal mucosa, with a generalized disorder of cell replication, and with the appearance of clusters of enlarged crypts (aberrant crypts) showing proliferative, biochemical and biomolecular abnormalities” (Leon, P., Gregorio, D., 2001). MicroRNA are small, single-stranded RNA that are noncoding and that can interfere with translation within a cell or cause degradation of the target miRNA. (Yamada, Nami, et al., 2013). More evidence is pointing to the fact the miRNA plays an important role in almost all of our biological processes. This includes differentiation, proliferation, cell survival, and even cell death. The dysregulation of miRNA expression can contribute to many diseases, including colon cancer.
Since cancer can be hard to detect and can affect other organs it is important for patients to get yearly screenings done, especially patients with Lynch Syndrome. “Every organ affects another organ” (Buttarro, Terry 2012). Symptoms may not appear until the cancer has already metastasized to other organs. Genetics can also play a crucial role in preventative screening and blood work that is performed to check for certain types of cancer, including colon cancer. If a provider knows a patient has Lynch Syndrome they can make sure the patient is getting the proper tests to be proactive in the fight against cancer.
References
Mayo Clinic (2018) Lynch syndrome
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lynch-syndrome/symptoms-cause
s/syc-20374714
Dragovich, Tomislav (2019) Colon Cancer. Medscape
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/277496-overview
Mayo Clinic (2019) Colon Cancer
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669
Leon, P., Gregorio, D. (2001) Pathology of colorectal cancer. Pubmed.gov
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11432519
Yamada, N., Nakagawa, Y., Tsujimura, N., Kumazaki, M., Noguchi, S., Mori, T., Hirata, I.,
Maruo, K., Akao, Y., (2012) Role of intracellular and extracellular mircro-RNA92 in
colorectal cancer. PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3730023/
Buttarro, Terry Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012d). Introduction to advanced pathophysiology. Baltimore, MD
Bottom of Form
