NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — A syndrome that increases the risk of some skin cancers may be a subset of a syndrome that increases the risk of colon cancer, report researchers from The Ohio State University, Columbus.

Some people with Lynch syndrome — an inherited condition that predisposes a person to colon cancer — are also at greater risk for developing certain skin cancers, a condition known as Muir-Torre syndrome, Dr. Albert de la Chapelle and colleagues explain in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for February 20. They found that the skin lesions in patients with Muir-Torre syndrome are characterised by the same molecular defects as tumours in patients with Lynch syndrome.

Because skin tumours often develop before Lynch syndrome is diagnosed in these patients, "all individuals who are diagnosed with a Muir-Torre syndrome-related skin lesions should be screened for Lynch syndrome," the researchers advise.

To determine the frequency of Muir-Torre syndrome in patients with Lynch syndrome, they studied 152 Lynch syndrome patients from 50 different families.