EPCAM and Lynch syndrome: Germline mutations of one of the abovementioned genes or the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) gene (which is located adjacent to the MSH2 gene) are the causes of Lynch syndrome, a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome characterized by an increased risk of developing various tumors, mainly colorectal carcinoma but also endometrial, gastric, ovarian, pancreatic, urothelial (upper urinary tract), biliary tract and small intestinal carcinomas [98].