Go to the website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and enter 'Lynch syndrome' in the Search box at the top of the page. From the list of options given, select '#120435—Lynch Syndrome.' Use the information you retrieve to answer the following questions. What are the approximate rates of cancer that develop in people carrying a mutation of one of these genes?

As a genetic counselor, you are asked to assess the risk for a couple with a family history of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who are thinking about having children. Neither the husband nor the wife has colorectal cancer, but the husband has a sister with FAP. What is the probability that this couple will have a child with FAP? Are there any tests that you could recommend to help in this assessment?

What is apoptosis, and under what circumstances do cells undergo this process?

Go to the website http://www.cancer.gov and select 'Cancer Types' on the top menu bar. Scroll down to 'Breast Cancer' and click. Select 'Cases & Prevention' from the options. Click 'More information' and select 'BRCA Mutations: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing'. Use the information on this page to answer the following questions. As a special project, instead of selecting 'Breast Cancer' from the list of types of cancer, select another cancer you would like to know more about and produce a short summary of what you find.

What kind of information will be made available by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)? What sort of role do you think TCGA information will play in cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment in the future?

Go to the website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and enter 'Lynch syndrome' in the Search box at the top of the page. From the list of options given, select '#120435—Lynch Syndrome.' Use the information you retrieve to answer the following questions. Provide a brief summary of the normal functions of the protein products of these genes.

Go to the website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and enter 'Lynch syndrome' in the Search box at the top of the page. From the list of options given, select '#120435—Lynch Syndrome.' Use the information you retrieve to answer the following questions. What genes are most commonly mutated in Lynch syndrome?

Go to the website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and enter 'Lynch syndrome' in the Search box at the top of the page. From the list of options given, select '#120435—Lynch Syndrome.' Use the information you retrieve to answer the following questions. There are two types of Lynch syndrome. What are they?

Genetic counseling has not been discussed in this chapter, but it is a service provided by trained professional counselors who also have detailed knowledge of medical genetics, as described in Application Chapter A. Genetic counselors provide details about gene mutations and have knowledge of most of the details of diseases associated with genetic abnormalities. With regard to genetic testing to identify one's personal risk of cancer, what are the three or four topics you think are most important to be able to discuss with a genetic counselor?