If a member of your family is diagnosed with bowel cancer, you are naturally concerned, in the first instance, about the person affected by this disease. Later, however, other concerns will often also start to play on your mind. Is it hereditary? Will I get it too? Can I do anything to reduce the risk?
At iGene we deal with heredity and prevention on a daily basis and help you find answers to these kinds of questions.
Bowel cancer, the collective term for various types of cancer in the small intestine, large intestine and rectum, is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Netherlands. Around 5% of the population will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. In most cases this is cancer of the large intestine. The disease mainly affects people over 50 years of age.
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Genetic predisposition to bowel cancer
Your personal risk of bowel cancer depends on various factors. One of these is your DNA, but environmental factors and lifestyle also play a role, for example. To make a statement about your genetic predisposition, we examine mutations (changes or errors) in your DNA.
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Preventing bowel cancer
Scientists are finding out more and more about the causes of bowel cancer and ways to reduce the risk of this disease. That means you can take steps yourself to prevent bowel cancer. iGene can help by sharing relevant scientific information with you in your iGene Passport.
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Want to reduce your risk of bowel cancer?
An iGene Passport allows you to see straight away whether you have an increased or reduced risk of a large number of hereditary conditions, including bowel cancer. If it becomes apparent that you are at an increased risk of bowel cancer, you will also receive targeted information on how to reduce this risk.
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A healthy lifestyle thanks to your iGene Passport
For as long as you are using iGene you will continue to receive information based on the latest scientific insights. That means that if important discoveries are made in the future that will help you take even more effective steps to prevent bowel cancer, you will be able to benefit from them straight away.