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Article: Hereditary colon cancer.(familial adenomatous polyposis progression to colon cancer)
- Article from:
- The Exceptional Parent
- Article date:
- December 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 EP Global Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I come from a family that has a rare inherited disease called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), which can result in colon cancer at an extremely early age if not diagnosed correctly and treated. Usually the symptoms begin in early adolescence, but in some families like ours, they can occur in infants, and in unexpected ways.
My son Joshua is the fifth generation in my family to have this disease. it was not until he was born, though, that the impact of FAP hit me. I woke to reality one morning in a children's hospital as my 11-month-old son started chemotherapy for hepatoblastoma, a cancerous liver tumor. I later learned that this rare tumor has a higher ...