This Common Genetic Cancer Risk Could Run In Your Family. Here's How To Know If You Should Get Tested.

It impacts roughly 1 in 300 Americans — and puts people at a higher risk of developing cancer before age 50.

If you look at new research and health updates any day of the week, you’re likely to find news about increasing cancer rates. This is especially true for certain types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer (also known as colon cancer). Colorectal cancer is becoming more and more common in young people; notable celebrities James Van Der Beek and Chadwick Boseman both died of the disease before they were 50.

The reason for the rise in colon cancer cases in younger adults is largely unknown, although low-fiber diets and a sedentary lifestyle are thought to be factors. However, the contributing factors are multifaceted, and scientists are discovering more potential reasons for the increase in colon cancer diagnoses.

One of those possible factors is something called Lynch syndrome, a genetic disorder that is linked to a higher risk of numerous cancers, including colon cancer. It’s a condition most people likely haven’t heard much about, despite the fact that it’s prevalent.

“Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary cause of colorectal cancer [and] uterine cancer,” said Dr. Bryson Katona, the executive director of the King Center for Lynch Syndrome at Penn Medicine. Someone with Lynch syndrome is more likely to develop certain types of cancer, including colorectal, uterine, pancreatic and stomach, before age 50.

“There are five different genes that can cause Lynch syndrome, and people that have Lynch syndrome have a genetic defect in one of those genes that they’re essentially born with,” Katona explained.