Survivorship in Lynch Syndrome Families

Objectives:

Specific Aims:

1. We will evaluate and compare predictors of health-related quality of life (QOL) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors who have Lynch syndrome (LS) with those patients who have sporadic CRC using both quantitative and qualitative methodology.

   a. In both CRC groups, we will evaluate cancer preventive and health behaviors, including lifestyle factors and screening, psychosocial factors, including mood, family functioning, coping style, anxiety, depression, and social resources, and health care system factors, including interactions with health care providers and service utilization.

2. We will compare the experience of first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients who have LS with that of FDRs of patients who have sporadic CRC using both quantitative and qualitative methodology.

   a. We will evaluate all of the domains listed above, as well as anticipatory grief, assessment of caregiving responsibilities, and fear of cancer in FDRs of patients with LS-related and sporadic CRC.

3. We will examine CRC patients from both groups and their FDRs using dyadic analyses in order to evaluate the similarities and differences in their survivorship experience.
4. We will evaluate the preventive and health behavior of patients who are non-conclusive for Lynch syndrome and their family members. We will examine their screening behavior and will explore how the interaction between the patients and their relatives affects the relatives' screening behavior. We also will examine how these non conclusive LS patients and their family members perceive their risk for LS-related cancers.