Henry T. Lynch

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Henry T. Lynch
Born(1928-01-04)January 4, 1928
Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 2019(2019-06-02) (aged 91)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
OccupationPhysician
Known forDiscovery of genetic causes of cancer and namesake of
Lynch syndrome

Henry Thompson Lynch (January 4, 1928 – June 2, 2019) was an American physician noted for his discovery of familial susceptibility to certain kinds of cancer and his research into

genetic links to cancer
.

He is sometimes described as "the father of hereditary cancer detection and prevention"[1] or the "father of cancer genetics",[2] although Lynch himself said that title should go to the early 20th century pathologist Aldred Scott Warthin.[3]

Lynch was the chairman of preventive medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska and held the Charles F. and Mary C. Heider Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.

Early life and education

Lynch was born in

U. S. Navy at age 16, using false identification to disguise his age.[4] He served as a gunner during World War II
.

After his discharge in 1946 he became a professional boxer under the nickname "Hammerin' Hank".[5] After obtaining a high school equivalency, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1951 and a master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Denver in 1952.

He studied for a Ph.D. in human genetics from the

University of Nebraska College of Medicine.[5]

Career

He served as an assistant professor at the

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, then joined the faculty at Creighton University in 1967. Noting that some cancer patients had relatives and ancestors with the same type of cancer, Lynch postulated that cancer could be hereditary. He began to focus his research on that possibility, although it was considered unlikely by the medical establishment of the time, which was focused on environmental causes of cancer; in fact the American Cancer Society frequently stated that cancer was not hereditary.[4]

In 1970 he applied for a research grant from the

cancer syndromes
" through multiple generations of families.

He defined the necessary criteria for a genetic cancer: early age of onset of the disease, specific pattern of multiple primary cancers, and Mendelian patterns of inheritance in hundreds of extended families worldwide.[6]

His theory of genetically based cancers was eventually accepted. His best-known example, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, is the most common form of hereditary colorectal cancer and is generally known as

Lynch syndrome. He demonstrated the Mendelian inheritance pattern for certain breast and ovarian cancers, which laid the groundwork for the identification of specific genes responsible for these familial cancers, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.[6]

In 1984 he established the Hereditary Cancer Prevention Clinic at Creighton, which focuses on identifying risk factors, promoting early detection, and preventing the onset of familial cancers.[6] Under his leadership Creighton also hosts a High Risk Registry, part of the Early Detection Research Network sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.[7] The Registry allows the Network to educate individual patients about their genetic risk status.[8] Lynch died of congestive heart failure on June 2, 2019, at the age of 91.[9][10]

Bibliography

Lynch has written hundreds of articles and several books, including[6]

  • —— (1967). "Heredity and the More Common Malignancies of Man: Carcinoma of the Breast, Stomach, Colon, Lung, Prostate, and Endometrium". Hereditary factors in carcinoma - Chapter 3 in Recent Results in Cancer Research. Vol. 12. Springer Verlag. pp. 35–52.
    ISBN 9783642482526
    .
  • —— (1971). Cancer and You. Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd.
  • —— (1976). Cancer Genetics. Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd.
    ISBN 9780398032227
    .
  • —— (1981). Genetics and Breast Cancer. Van Nostrand Reinhold.
    ISBN 9780442249199
    .

Recognition

Lynch has received several awards:

References

  1. ^ "Lynch Syndrome: An Interview With the Father of Hereditary Cancer Detection and Prevention, Henry T. Lynch, MD". Interview with the Innovators. The Oncology Pharmacist. March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Henry T. Lynch, M.D." North Shore University Health System. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  3. ISBN 978-1-4614-0016-5
    .
  4. ^
    PMID 16902702
    .
  5. ^ a b "A Tribute to Dr. Henry T. Lynch". Lynch Syndrome International. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Chair of Preventive Medicine: Henry Lynch, MD". Creighton University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Early Detection Research Network". Creighton University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  8. PMID 19775326
    .
  9. ^ "Prominent cancer researcher, Dr. Henry Lynch, dies at 91". KMTV. 3 June 2019.
  10. ^ Kolata, Gina (13 June 2019). "Dr. Henry Lynch, 91, Dies; Found Hereditary Link in Cancer". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Previous Brinker Award winners". Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  12. ^ "ASCO - American Cancer Society Award and Lecture". American Society of Clinical Oncology. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
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