Our Services | Our Team | Location | Appointments
The mission of our Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center is to prevent death from cancer and to maintain quality of life in all people affected by hereditary colorectal cancer.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with an inherited colorectal cancer syndrome, we can help. Call us at (212) 342-1155 or request an appointment online today.
About Hereditary Colorectal Cancer
Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndromes account for 5 to 10% of all 150,000 colorectal cancers diagnosed each year in the US. Features of these syndromes include:
- Early age of onset of cancer
- Transmission between generations within the family
- Multiple tumors forming in one or more organs. (The extracolonic organs affected vary with the syndrome.)
Syndromes associated with hereditary colorectal cancer include:
- Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)
- Lynch Syndrome
- MUTYH (or MYH) -Associated Polyposis (MAP)
- Polymerase Proof-reading Associated Polyposis (PPAP)
- Serrated Polyposis Syndrome (SPS)
- Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS)
- Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome (JPS)
- PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (PHTS)
Learn more about the role of genetics and colorectal cancer
Colorectal Cancer & Your Family
Our Services
The challenges we face in treating people with hereditary colorectal cancer are the following:
- These cancers grow quickly and in complex ways
- Patients often don’t show any symptoms early, which can delay treatment
- Effective treatment depends on doctor and patient, working together and coordinating with family members who may also be affected
Our center has years of experience navigating these challenges, and our team is committed to partnering closely with patients to provide the very best results for them and their entire families.
The surgeons at the Columbia Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center are trained to perform all the most advanced techniques to treat colorectal cancers at all levels of complexity. Our priority is preserving as much of the bowel as possible with minimal scarring and minimal disruption to your life.
We provide colonoscopy screenings to both monitor your health after surgery and to identify any issues in family members before they develop into actual cancers.
We work under the guidance of our director, Dr James Church, who was instrumental in building one of the most reputable colorectal division in the world at the Cleveland Clinic over nearly four decades and has now come to Columbia to pass his expertise on to a new generation of surgeons.
Our Team
All of the colorectal surgeons on our team employ Dr Church’s technique and principles of treatment. They have all been proctored by Dr Church and seek his guidance in the management of anal fistulae.
Cary B. Aarons, MD | Interim Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery
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Debbie Bakes, MD | Chief, Colorectal Surgery/Westchester Section
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P. Ravi Kiran, MD | Director, Advanced Colorectal Surgery, IBD & Pouch Institute
James M. Church, MD | Director of Research, Section Head of Hereditary Cancer and Familial Polyposis, Division of Colorectal Surgery
Usama Ahmed Ali, MD | book an appointment online »
Marco Bertucci Zoccali, MD | book an appointment online »
Beatrice Dionigi, MD | book an appointment online »
Joseph Riad, MD | book an appointment online »
David Schwartzberg, MD | book an appointment online »
Clinical Research
The Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center is at the forefront of research in the field. We organize and participate in numerous trials to improve standards of care.
Recent publication: Assessment of a Polygenic Risk Score for Colorectal Cancer to Predict Risk of Lynch Syndrome Colorectal Cancer
Our Offices
The Columbia Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center is located on the main NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus in Washington Heights. Can’t make it to one of our offices? We also offer virtual visits.
Washington Heights-NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (Main Campus)
Herbert Irving Pavilion
161 Fort Washington Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10032
Make an Appointment
To make an appointment with the Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Center, please call us at (212) 342-1155 or request an appointment online today.
We accept most major insurance plans and can verify your plan when you call to make your appointment.
Medical records can be faxed to (212) 305-0267