People with Lynch syndrome are at a greater risk of developing a wide variety of cancers than the general public, a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has confirmed.

But the study also revealed family members, who are not carriers of the mutant gene, only faced average risk, and need not worry unnecessarily.

Researchers observed 450 volunteers and found that those with Lynch syndrome were also more prone to developing breast and pancreatic cancer aside from those commonly associated with the disorder, such as cancer of the colon, uterus, kidney, stomach and bladder.