The heterogeneity of genetic predisposition to early-onset colorectal cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of death in developed countries. There is a strong association between genetic factors and the risk of developing colorectal cancer. However, a large fraction of the expected heritability of colorectal cancer still remains unexplained (‘missing heritability’), which limits the possibilities for treatment. This work aimed to identify and assess the role of moderate genetic risk factors for the predisposition of colorectal cancer under the premise that they may predispose more extreme forms of colorectal cancer, such as colorectal cancer with an early-onset.