Colon cancer gene traced to British couple

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say descendants of a British couple who arrived in New England in the 1630s are at risk of a hereditary form of colon cancer.

The Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah said a founder mutation may contribute to a significant percentage of colon cancer cases in the United States, the university said Wednesday in a release.

The report, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said researchers found two large families in Utah and New York that carry a specific genetic mutation responsible for increased risk of colorectal cancer. The families are both related to a married couple who came to America from England in the 1630s.

"The fact that this mutation can be traced so far back in time suggests that it could be carried by many more families in the United States than is currently known," said lead author Deborah Neklason.

The mutation causes a condition called attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis. Without proper clinical care, people with the AFAP mutation have a greater than 2 in 3 risk of colon cancer by age 80, compared to about 1 in 24 for the general population.