Only about five to 10 percent of colorectal cancers are passed from parents to their children though it is possible. Several gene mutations, or abnormalities, that cause colorectal cancer, and allow it to be transmitted to family members, have been found.
The two most common inherited colorectal cancer syndromes are hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). They can affect both men and women, and the children of people who carry these genes have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disease-causing gene.