Creighton Hereditary Cancer Expert, Henry T. Lynch, M.D., Discusses High Colorectal Cancer Risks and Jewish People

In a recent special edition of Familial Cancer, a quarterly Journal of Cancer Genetics, results of research found Ashkenazi Jews may have one of the highest lifetime risks for colorectal cancer of any ethnic group in the world. Henry T. Lynch, M.D., editor of the Journal, professor and chairman of Preventative Medicine and Public Health, and director of the Hereditary Cancer Institute at Creighton University Medical Center, calls for more intensive colorectal cancer screening guidelines as a result of these findings.

The lifetime risk of colorectal cancer in the general population of the United States is approximately 5 to 6 percent. However, among Ashkenazi Jews, the rate is estimated to be as high as 9 to 15 percent. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of cases of colorectal cancer is hereditary.

“Clearly, these findings emphasize the need to develop special surveillance and management strategies for colorectal cancer among Ashkenazi men and women,” says Dr. Lynch. He recommends individuals with first or second degree relatives with colorectal cancer begin colonoscopies at age 35 and repeat it every three years. Special screening attention must be given to hereditary forms of colorectal cancer.

This issue of Familial Cancer is intended to increase the understanding of the specific cancer risks that Jewish people face, and to provide insights into causes, control and ultimately the prevention of many forms of carcinomas. Understanding familial cancer in Jewish people helps the medical community understand their special need and the importance of genetic testing, according to Dr. Lynch.

Furthermore, marked clinical examples found Jewish people also have a higher risk of cancer of the ovary, pancreas, stomach and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Results of the research also found overall cancer incidence is not higher in Ashkenazi Jewish people when compared to North American, non-Hispanic white people.

Dr. Lynch has studied pancreatic cancer and its hereditary predisposition in certain families for more than 30 years. In 2003, Dr. Lynch received $150,000 award from the Jacqueline Seroussi Memorial Foundation for Cancer Research, a non-profit entity established in Israel, for his research regarding the role of genetics in pancreatic carcinoma.

Creighton physicians/researchers are significant contributors to national healthcare and educational advancements in the areas of cancer, bacterial resistance, hearing loss, and the conditions that affect bone growth and loss. In the Jesuit Catholic tradition of caring for the whole person – mind, body and spirit – Creighton University Medical Center, for more than a century, has served as a vital source of health care and education in Omaha and the Great Plains.