Gardner syndrome is related to a condition called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). About 1 in 100 (1%) cancers of the large bowel (cancers of the colon or rectum) are linked to FAP.
FAP is due to a faulty gene that can be passed on in families from one generation to the next. In FAP hundreds or thousands of growths, called polyps, develop in the bowel. Without treatment one or more of these polyps eventually becomes cancerous.
The term Gardner syndrome can be used in two different ways. Some doctors use it to mean anyone who has FAP. When used in this way it's really just an equivalent term, a synonym, for FAP. It can also be used to describe a range of physical changes, other than bowel polyps, that people with FAP may develop.
Physical changes outside the bowel that can affect people with FAP include:
- non cancerous (benign) tumours of the bones
- polyps in the stomach
- abnormalities in the jaw and teeth
- changes to the lining at the back of the eye (retina)
- cysts on the skin
- an increased risk of cancer of the pancreas, bile ducts, adrenal and thyroid glands
- an increased risk of liver cancer (hepatoblastoma) in young children.
If you have Gardner syndrome your treatment will depend on how it affects you. So, treatment can vary from person to person.
References
- Hamilton, Stanley R et al. (2000) Pathology and genetics of tumours of the digestive system. World Health Organisation classification of tumours series. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
- Keben D et al (eds) (2002) Gastrointestinal oncology; Principles and practice
- Galiatsatos P and Foulkes W (2006) Family Adenomatous Polyposis, The American Journal of Gastroenterology 202:385-398.