Henry T. Lynch

Henry T. Lynch attended the Universities of Oklahoma and Denver before he began research in human genetics at the University of Texas, Austin. He went on to study medicine, graduating from the University of Texas, Galveston, in 1960. He trained in internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Omaha, and gained further experience through a fellowship in clinical oncology. In 1967 he joined the faculty of the Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska as professor and chairman of the department of preventive medicine. In
In 1980 he became professor of medicine at the same institution, and in 1994 director of the Creighton Cancer Center. he is (2001) a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Tumor Marker Oncology, Anti-Cancer Research - International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment and American Journal of Medical Genetics.

His research involves clinical as well as laboratory investigations into a variety of hereditary cancer prone disorders, with an emphasis on breast cancer. He has had a particular interest in breast cancer-prone families and was one of the first to delineate the genetic and clinical heterogeneity of breast cancer-prone families. In the late 1960's and early 70's, he described families showing autosomal dominant inheritance patterns for breast and ovarian cancer which is now known as the hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC). Early on, his work in cancer genetics was given short shrift, particularly during the heyday of the "viral" aetiology of breast cancer. The belief in Dr. Lynch's medical genetic observations of breast cancer families was rather limited. However, he kept documenting cancer of all anatomic sites in breast cancer-prone families, and his resource became one of the largest of its type in the world.

Dr. Lynch is the recipient of the American Cancer Society 1997 Medal of Honor Clinical Research Award and the Association of Community Cancer Center's 1996 Outstanding Advancement in Clinical Research Award.

Lynch has written more than 400 articles on cancer genetics. He is also the author of 12 books, some of which include his wife and/or son as co-authors. Lynch's most important work has been in cancer genetics and he has published Lynch has served on several national committees which are concerned with the prevention of cancer and he is recognised as a pioneer in this field.

In 1998 Henry T. Lynch received the Clinical Research Award for his unparalleled contributions to the understanding of the genetic influences on breast cancer development. htlynch@creighton.edu

DNA extraction and proper storage should be left only to DNA banking companies that have received clearance by the FDA, and laboratories that are certified (CLIA approved). In addition, such DNA banks need to guarantee mechanisms that ensure quantifiably sufficient results and confidentiality.

Banking of family DNA will play a pivotal role in this new era of modern medicine. Simply, the availability of banked DNA will allow the physician to move from Diagnosis and Prognosis to Prediction and Prevention.

DNA Banking is extremely important in the midst of the molecular genetic revolution, we can determine which genes give rise to diseases, not just cancer. I believe strongly in the testing of families to see who is at risk for disease. Medically, this knowledge is invaluable for present and future generations.

• Henry T. Lynch, Takeshi Hirayama (Editor):
  Genetic Epidemiology of Cancer. 1989
• Henry T. Lynch, Rodney H. Hoden:
  International Directory of Genetic Services.
• Henry T. Lynch:
  Birth Defects International Directory of Genetic Service.
• Henry T. Lynch,. Ramon M. Fusao (Editor):
  Hereditary Malignant Melanoma.
• P. Watson, H. T. Lynch:
  Extracolonic cancer in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.
  Cancer, Philadelphia, 1993, 71:677-685.
• H. T. Lynch, T. C. Smyrk, P. Watson, et al.
  Genetics, natural history, tumor spectrum, and pathology of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer: an updated review.
  Gastroenterology, Baltimore, 199, 104: 1535-1549.
• H. T. Lynch:
  Genetics and pancreatic cancer.
  Archives of Surgery, Chicago, 1994, 129: 266-268.
• L. A. Aaltonen, P. Peltomaki, J. P. Mecklin, H. Javinen, J. R. Jass, J. S. Green, H. T. Lynch, P. Watson, G. Tallqvist, M. Juhola, P. Sistonen, S. R. Hamilton, K. W. Kinzler, B. Vogelstein, A. de la Chapelle:
  Replication Errors in Benign and Malignant Tumors from Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer Patients.
  Cancer Research, 1994, 54: 1645-1648.
• H. T. Lynch, T. A. Conway, J. F. Lynch:
  Phenotypic Variation in Hereditary Breast Cancer: Cancer Control Implications.
  Archives of Surgery, Chicago, 1994, 129: 806-813.
• P. Tonin, O. Serova, J. Simard, G. Lenoir, J. Feunteun, K. Morgan, H. Lynch, S. Narod:
  The Gene for Hereditary Breast-Ovarian Cancer, BRCAI, Maps Distal to EDH17B2 in Chromosome Region 17q 12-q21.
  Human Molecular Genetics, Oxford, 1994, 3(9):1679-1682.
• R. M. Fusaro, H. T. Lynch:
  The Familial Atypical Multiple Mole Melanoma Syndrome and its Associated Risk for Pancreatic Cancer. International Journal of Pancreatology, 1994, 16 (2): 216-221.
• B. Liu, R. E. Parsons, S. R. Hamilton, G. M. Petersen, H. T. Lynch, P. Watson, S. Markowitz , J. K. Willson, J. Green, A. de la Chapelle, et al:
  hMSH2 Mutations in Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer Kindreds.
  Cancer Research, 1994, 54 (17): 4590-4594.
• H. T. Lynch, R. Fitzgibbons Jr, S. Chong, J. Cavalieri, J. Lynch, F. Wallace, S. Patel:
  Use of Doxorubicin and Dacarbazine for the Management of Unrespectable Intra-Abdominal Desmoid Tumors in Gardner's Syndrome.
  Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Philadelphia, 1994, 37 (3): 260-267.
• S. A. Narod, D. Ford, P. Devilee, R. B. Barkardottir, H. T. Lynch, S. A. Smith, B. A. J. Ponder, J. E. Garber, J. M. Birch, R. S. Cornelis, D. P. Kelsell, N. K. Spurr, E. Smyth, N. Haites, H. Sobol, Y. J. Bignon, J. Chang-Claude, Hamann Ute, A. Lindblom, A. Borg, M. D. Piver, H. H. Gallion, J. P. Struewing, A. Whittemore, P. Tonin, D. E. Goldgar, D. F. Easton, and the Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium:
  An Evaluation of Genetic Heterogeneity in 145 Breast-Ovarian Cancer Families.
  The American Journal of Human Gentics, Chicago, 1995, 56: 254-264.
• H. T. Lynch, T. Smyrk, T. McGinn, S. Lanspa, J. Cavalieri, J. Lynch, S. Slominski-Castor, M. Cayouette, I. Priluck, M. C. Luce:
  Attenuated Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (AFAP) A Phenotypically and Genotypically Distintive Variant og FAP. Cancer, Philadelphia, 1995, 76: 2427-2433.
• H. T. Lynch, T. Smyrk, S. Kern, R. Hruban, C. Lightdale, S. Lemon, J. F. Lynch, L. Fusaro, R. M. Fusaro, P.Ghadirian:
  Familial Pancreatic Cancer: A Review.
  Seminars in Oncology, 1996, 23:251-275.
• J. N. Marcus, P. Watson, D. L. Page, S. Narod, G. Lenoir, P. Tonin, L. Linder-Stephenson, G. Salerno, T. A. Conway, H. T. Lynch:
  Hereditary Breast Cancer: Pathobiology, Prognosis, and BRCAI and BRCA2 Gene Linkage.
  Cancer, Philadelphia, 1996, 77: 697-709.
• H. T. Lynch, T. Smyrk:
  Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (Lynch Syndrome). An Updated Review.
  Cancer, Philadelphia, 1996, 78 (6): 1149-1167.
• Olga M. Serova, Sylvie Mazoyer, Nadine Puget, Valérie Dubois, Patricia Tonin, Yin Y. Shugart, David Goldgar, Steven A. Narod, Henry T. Lynch, and Gilbert M. Lenoir:
  Mutations in BRCA and BRCA2 in Breast Cancer Families: Are There More Breast Cancer—Susceptibility Genes?
  The American Journal of Human Gentics, Chicago, March 3, 1997, 60 (3): 486-495.
• Randi Londer Gould in consultation with Henry T. Lynch, Robert A. Smith, James F. McCarthy:
  Cancer and genetics : answering your patients' questions, a manual for clinicians and their patients.
  Huntington, NY : PRR ; Atlanta, GA : American Cancer Society, 1997.
• Caryn Lerman, Chanita Hughes, Bruce J. Trock, Ronald E. Myers, David Main, Aba Bonney, Mohammad R. Abbaszadegan, Anne E. Harty, Barbara A. Franklin, Jane F. Lynch, Henry T. Lynch:
  Genetic Testing in Families With Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colon Cancer.
  The Journal of the American Medical Assiociation, Chicago, May 5, 1999, 281 (17): 1618-1622.