Definition – What is a lynch syndrome?
The term lynch syndrome describes a genetic predisposition to develop a certain form of colon cancer. This form of cancer is called hereditary (hereditary) non-polyposis (designation of morphological characteristics) colon carcinoma (colon cancer), and is often abbreviated as HNPCC. The affected individuals often develop this special form of colon tumor at an unusually young age, i.e. before the age of 50.
However, not every person who has the genetic dispositions of Lynch syndrome also develops colon cancer. On the other hand, other organs can also develop a tumor, since the genetic predispositions that promote the development of a tumor are present in all body cells. Therefore, regular check-ups and preventive medical check-ups are necessary in persons affected by Lynch syndrome in order to adequately treat developing tumors at an early stage.
Causes
The cause of the lynch syndrome is always in the DNA of the persons concerned. Due to a change in certain genes, certain enzymes cannot be correctly produced in the cells of the intestinal mucosa. Enzymes are proteins that are responsible for a molecular process or biochemical reaction.
The enzymes that are built incorrectly in Lynch syndrome and therefore do not function as intended are part of the “repair mechanisms” of the body cells: Such mechanisms are responsible for correcting errors in the DNA of a cell, which are caused by the process of cell division. Since the intestinal mucosa is one of the tissues in the body that divide relatively frequently, it is therefore highly probable that cells with defective genetic information are formed here. These can in turn lead to the deactivation of cell death mechanisms, so that the cell continues to exist and divide beyond its intended lifetime.
This results in uncontrolled cell division, which is the origin of cancer. In people affected by Lynch syndrome, dysfunctional enzymes lead to the formation of cells with faulty genetic information and, as a consequence, to the absence of the actually pre-programmed cell death. As mentioned above, the intestinal tissue is particularly at risk due to the higher rate of cell division, but in Lynch syndrome tumors can also develop in other tissues (see below).
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