Beth, age 37, feels a curse is hanging over her family and is worried about her future and that of her children. As far as he knew, Paul had no family history of the disease. But after checking, Paul learned that several aunts and uncles had died of colon cancer at an early age. Cancers arise from a multistep process, which involves the interplay of multiple changes, or mutations, in several different genes, in combination with environmental factors such as diet or lifestyle. In the most common, noninherited forms of cancer, the genetic changes are acquired after birth.
Women also face a markedly increased risk of uterine and ovarian cancer.
Finally, using tools emerging from the Human Genome Project, an international team tracked the gene to a region of chromosomes 2. Seven months later, two teams zeroed in on the culprit. Together, these genes account for most cases of this inherited cancer. Using tools emerging from the Human Genome Project, an international team tracked the gene for hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer to a region of chromosome 2. These discoveries offer a preview of how the Human Genome Project is likely to transform medicine by opening up new approaches to prevention.