Gardner’s Syndrome: Gastrointestinal Features

Abstract

Gardner syndrome is genetic disease characterized by adenomatous polyps of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract associated with tumors outside of the colon. Failure to remove the colon results in a very high risk of cancer.

GI symptoms include:

Rectal bleeding, anemia

Change in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea)

Abdominal pain

Palpable abdominal masses

Weight loss

Clinical signs and findings include:

Variant of familial adenomatous polyposis

Classically, hundreds to thousands of polyps throughout the colon. Polyps begin to develop as intramucosal nodules in early childhood in the rectosigmoid colon. By adolescence, they have spread throughout the colon. Fifty percent develop adenomas by age 15–95 % by age 35.