How to Pronounce Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer

Say it like this: heh-RED-ih-tair-ee non-pol-ih-POH-sis koh-loh-REK-tal KAN-ser. The stress falls on the second syllable of 'hereditary' (RED) and the third syllable of 'nonpolyposis' (POH). Take it one part at a time, and it becomes much easier to say.

Hereditary means something is passed down through families in your genes. In this case, it refers to a condition that runs in families because of inherited genetic mutations.

Colorectal refers to the colon and rectum, which are parts of your large intestine. The 'colo-' part comes from the word for colon, and '-rectal' refers to the rectum.

'Nonpolyposis' means 'without polyps' or 'not many polyps.' This term is used because people with this condition don't develop the many polyps that typically appear in some other inherited colon cancer syndromes. It helps doctors distinguish this syndrome from others.

The most common abbreviation is HNPCC, pronounced letter-by-letter: H-N-P-C-C. You'll also hear it called Lynch syndrome, which is actually another name for the same condition.

Lynch syndrome is simply another name for the same condition, named after the doctor who first described it. Both names refer to the exact same hereditary cancer syndrome, so you may hear either term used in medical contexts.

You might hear: 'His family history suggests he may carry the gene mutation associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.' Or more simply: 'She was referred to a genetic counselor because of her family's history of Lynch syndrome.'

The term breaks into four parts: 'hereditary' (inherited), 'non-' (not), 'polyposis' (many polyps), 'colorectal' (colon and rectum), and 'cancer' (malignant tumor). Together, they describe an inherited cancer risk that doesn't follow the usual polyp pattern.