Hereditary colon cancer syndromes: an in vitro study.

Assays of in vitro biological properties associated with cellular transformation revealed differences in cultured skin cells within the heritable colon cancer syndromes with and without polyposis coli. Such evidence suggested that an in vitro panel of biological assays could be used to recognize genotypes which increase the risk of colon cancer prior to clinical expression and supported the concept, long assumed on clinical differences, of genetic heterogeneity within the heritable colon cancer syndromes.