First reports on hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) families by Warthin and Lynch et al., describing characteristic clinical findings in HNPCC, were published decades ago, but little attention was drawn to this tumour syndrome. Since the first characterization of genetic defects in this tumour syndrome in 1993, numerous studies on the molecular basis and clinical characteristics have been published (Figure 1). However, despite this increasing knowledge of HNPCC, many questions concerning patient identification and clinical management of HNPCC patients remain to be clarified in future studies.
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