Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a genetic condition that causes hundreds or thousands noncancerous polyps to develop in the colon and rectum, often beginning during teenage years. 

Without intervention, these polyps will likely turn into cancer, with the average onset of colon cancer around 39 years old for people with FAP. 

Symptoms

The main symptom of FAP is numerous polyps growing in your colon and rectum. However, polyps don't always cause symptoms, so if anyone in your family has FAP, it's important for you to get screened for polyps regularly.

Treatments

Your doctor will remove as many polyps as possible during a colonoscopy, but eventually you'll need more extensive surgery to prevent colon cancer. This involves removing part or all of the colon and rectum.

Even if you have surgery to remove your colon and rectum, you'll need ongoing screening to find and remove polyps.

Risk Factors

In some people with FAP, the genetic mutation that causes it occurs spontaneously, which means it's not passed down from a parent.

However, you are much more likely to have FAP if you have a parent with the condition.