If you have not had colorectal cancer

If you have a family health history of colorectal or other Lynch syndrome-related cancers but have not had colorectal or another Lynch syndrome-related cancer, this table shows what the test results mean for you and your family:
Test Result	Result Meaning	What it means for you	What it means for your family
Positive	You have a mutation known to cause hereditary colorectal cancer.	Medical options are available to reduce your future cancer risk or find cancer early.	Family members who have genetic testing should test for the same mutation you have.
Negative	The test did not find a mutation that increases your risk for cancer.	Results are considered uninformative because either you did not inherit the mutation in your family, or the test did not include it. You are still considered at increased risk for cancers that run in your family. Medical options are available for prevention.	Genetic testing in your family members should ideally start with someone who has had colorectal cancer or another Lynch syndrome related cancer.
Negative and tested for mutation that runs in your family	You do not have the mutation that runs in your family.	You are not at higher risk than the average person for colorectal cancer. You cannot pass the mutation on to your children.	Your children cannot inherit the mutation that runs in your family and do not need to be tested. Other family members could still inherit the mutation and should be tested for the mutation that runs in your family.
Variant of Unknown Significance (VUS)	The test found a mutation in one of the genes associated with Lynch syndrome, but whether that specific mutation causes cancer is unknown.	You are still considered at increased risk for cancers that run in your family. Medical options are available for prevention.	Family members typically should not be tested for a VUS until we learn whether or not it causes cancer.