How did it get its name? APC is short for adenomatous polyposis coli. The APC gene is mutated in familial adenomatous polyposis, a hereditary form of colon cancer. Carriers of APC mutations develop thousands of colon tumours, some of which inevitably progress to malignancy. Inactivating mutations in APC are also found in the large majority of sporadic colon cancers. APC is therefore an importan...

The first case of a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who developed pancreatitis after routine screening and biopsy of the ampulla of Vater is described.

CONTEXT Familial adenomatous polyposis affects around 2-10 per 100,000 population. Untreated, it inevitably leads to colon cancer. Prophylactic panproctocolectomy has led to improved survival. The resulting extension to follow-up has revealed that 70-100% of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis go on to develop duodenal polyposis and the lifetime risk of duodenal carcinoma in this group...