ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the relationship between the molecularization of hereditary colorectal cancer and forms of care that are associated with people and families who have been identified as being at risk of developing the condition. It looks at research carried out on Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC). Drawing on interviews with medical researchers in Finland who have studied the condition in Finnish families for decades and who have developed a screening and check-up process to detect the onset of the condition early on in order to allow for early intervention the chapter examines the ways in which hereditary mutations as bio-objects have transformative power altering the way we relate and act upon those who are cared for. The chapter examines the way in which knowledge of hereditary cancer allows for new forms of intervention and prevention, but also the ways in which it challenges the understanding of privacy and autonomy.
