Genetic Study of Familial Factors in Patients With Colon Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

• Identify human colon neoplasia susceptibility genes in patients with colon cancer or adenomatous polyps.
• Correlate the inheritance of novel susceptibility alleles for adenomatous polyposis of the colon with colon neoplasia in these patients.
• Correlate colon neoplasia susceptibility with the presence of COX-2, sPLA2, and DNMT genes in these patients.
• Identify a novel gene that governs increased susceptibility to colon adenoma and cancer in the genome of these patients.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of colon cancer or polyps at age 70 or under
• Has a living full sibling with diagnosis of colon cancer or polyps at age 70 or under
• No history of familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome
• No hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer, according to Amsterdam criteria
• No known I1370K adenomatous polyposis of the colon susceptibility variant
• Enrolled on 1 of the following clinical trials:

• CLB-9581
• CLB-89803
• CLB-80001 NOTE: Patients do not need to be receiving protocol therapy. Patients who are outside the treatment protocol's follow-up range are eligible. Patients who discontinued therapy for any reason, including toxic effects, are eligible.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 70 and under at diagnosis

Other

• No significant psychiatric illness that would preclude giving informed consent
• No inflammatory bowel disease (in patient or sibling)