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)