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Bowel cancer is hereditary
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Colon cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases. It was believed that the main cause of its development is poor nutrition, smoking, excessive consumption of fried foods, and consumption of foods low in fiber.
However, British scientists associate colon cancer not only with the above factors. Specialists from the Institute of Cancer Research and Oxford University have discovered a connection between the development of bowel cancer and certain genetic mutations. In their opinion, these gene mutations have a significant impact on the risk of developing malignant tumors.
The results of the scientists’ research were published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
Scientists have discovered two genes, POLE and POLD1, that are passed from parents to children - this increases the risk of developing bowel cancer and also explains why some families are at increased risk.
By the way, mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are a similar example. It is these modified genes that increase the risk of developing breast cancer in women.
Experts conducted a detailed DNA analysis of twenty people with a family history of bowel cancer.
Scientists have identified a link similar to that observed in the case of breast cancer, but in this case the decisive role was played by the POLE and POLD1 genes.
Among the 20 study participants who had biological samples taken and underwent detailed genetic analysis, some had already been diagnosed with bowel cancer, and some had relatives who were currently battling the disease.
One of the study's participants, Joe Wiegand, 28, from Hampshire, was told of his diagnosis by the specialists who carried out the test and will now undergo surgery to remove part of his bowel.
"We have a history of bowel cancer in our family. My paternal grandmother, her sister and my father were all diagnosed with the disease. And my cousins were diagnosed with not only bowel tumours but also brain tumours," says Joe. "There is certainly something going on in our family."
"Mutations in the POLE and POLD1 genes can be passed on from parents to children. Although these gene changes are rare, those who are unfortunate enough to inherit them have a dramatically increased risk of developing colon cancer," said one of the study's authors, Professor Richard Houlston.
Experts hope that the data they have obtained will help people who are at increased risk of developing this disease, as well as those families where bowel cancer has become a family disease. To do this, scientists say, it is necessary to conduct a targeted analysis, with the help of which it will be clear whether there are mutations in these genes.
In addition, mutations in the POLD1 gene are associated with an increased risk of developing brain and uterine tumors.
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