Clinical Information

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant condition caused by mutations in the APC gene located on the long arm of chromosome 5 (5q21). Classic FAP is characterized by progressive development of hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colon polyps. Polyps may develop during the first decade of life and the majority of untreated FAP patients will develop colon cancer by age 40. Typically, there is a predominance of polyps on the left side of the colon, however, other areas of the colon may also be affected. The presence of extracolonic manifestations is variable and includes gastric and duodenal polyps, ampullary polyps, osteomas, dental abnormalities (unerupted teeth), congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE), benign cutaneous lesions, desmoids tumors, hepatoblastoma, and extracolonic cancers. Common constellations of colonic and extracolonic manifestations have resulted in the designation of 3 clinical variants: Gardner syndrome, Turcot syndrome, and hereditary desmoid disease.

Gardner syndrome is characterized by colonic polyps of classic FAP with epidermoid skin cysts and benign osteoid tumors of the mandible and long bones. Turcot syndrome is characterized by multiple colonic polyps and central nervous system (CNS) tumors.

Turcot syndrome is an unusual clinical variant of FAP, as it is also considered a clinical variant of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Individuals with Turcot syndrome have CNS tumors in addition to adenomatous polyps. The types of CNS tumor observed helps to distinguish Turcot-FAP variant patients from Turcot-HNPCC variant patients. The predominant CNS tumor associated with the Turcot-FAP variant is medulloblastoma, while glioblastoma is the predominant CNS tumor associated with Turcot-HNPCC.

Hereditary desmoid disease (HDD) is a variant of FAP with multiple desmoids tumors as the predominant feature. Many patients with HDD may not even show colonic manifestations of FAP. APC germline testing may assist clinicians in distinguishing a sporadic desmoid tumor, from that associated with FAP.

Attenuated FAP (AFAP) is characterized by later onset of disease and a milder phenotype (typically <100 adenomatous polyps and fewer extracolonic manifestations) than classic FAP. Typically individuals with AFAP develop symptoms of the disease at least 10 to 20 years later than classically affected individuals. Individuals with AFAP often lack a family history of colon cancer and/or multiple adenomatous polyps. Of note, clinical overlap is observed between AFAP and MYH-associated polyposis (MAP), an autosomal recessive polyposis syndrome typically associated with fewer than 100 polyps. Although the clinical phenotype of MAP remains somewhat undefined, extracolonic manifestations, including CHRPE have been described in affected patients. Given the phenotypic overlap of AFAP and MAP, these tests are commonly ordered together or in a reflex fashion.

See Colonic Polyposis Syndromes Testing Algorithm in Special Instructions for additional information. Also see Hereditary Colorectal Cancer: Adenomatous Polyposis Syndromes (September 2004 Communique) in publications for additional information.