The beginning of the new millennium has already brought some exciting new developments for families at risk for hereditary colon cancer. In January, the drug Celebrex ™ was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for polyp prevention in individuals with FAP. Also, a new support group called the Hereditary Colon Cancer Association (HCCA) has been established to provide support resources for families and to help promote research on hereditary colon cancer. Inside we have information about Celebrex™ and how you can get involved with the HCCA. We hope that this is a good sign for more positive advances to come in the year 2000.

We also continue our discussion of issues related to genetic testing. In this issue, we discuss the emotional impact of having a genetic condition and the many ways that genetic testing can affect families. There are many benefits and drawbacks that should be considered before making a decision about genetic testing. We hope these articles can provide some background information for discussing these issues with your own family.

The Editors