RATIONALE: Genetic studies may help in understanding the genetic processes involved in the development of some types of cancer.

PURPOSE: Clinical trial to study the cancer-related genes in patients who have colon cancer or adenomatous polyps.

OBJECTIVES:

• Identify human colon neoplasia susceptibility genes in patients with colon cancer or adenomatous polyps.
• Correlate the inheritance of novel susceptibility alleles for adenomatous polyposis of the colon with colon neoplasia in these patients.
• Correlate colon neoplasia susceptibility with the presence of COX-2, sPLA2, and DNMT genes in these patients.
• Identify a novel gene that governs increased susceptibility to colon adenoma and cancer in the genome of these patients.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of colon cancer or polyps at age 70 or under

• Has a living full sibling with diagnosis of colon cancer or polyps at age 70 or under

• No history of familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome

• No hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer, according to Amsterdam criteria

• No known I1370K adenomatous polyposis of the colon susceptibility variant

• Enrolled on 1 of the following clinical trials:

  • CLB-9581
  • CLB-89803
  • CLB-80001 NOTE: Patients do not need to be receiving protocol therapy. Patients who are outside the treatment protocol's follow-up range are eligible. Patients who discontinued therapy for any reason, including toxic effects, are eligible.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 70 and under at diagnosis

Other

• No significant psychiatric illness that would preclude giving informed consent
• No inflammatory bowel disease (in patient or sibling)

Patients diagnosed with colon cancer or polyps age 70 or under. Specifically, patients previously enrolled on CLB-9581, CLB-89803 and CLB-80001.