Colon polyps are growths on the lining of the colon or rectum. The colon and the rectum are parts of the large intestine. It is all part of the digestive system.
The two most common kinds of polyp are:
The cause of colon polyps is unknown. It may be partly due to hereditary factors. There is a genetic condition called polyposis coli. It causes thousands of adenomatous polyps throughout the bowel.
Risk factors for colon polyps include:
Symptoms are often not present. Polyps are only found during an endoscopy or x-ray. If symptoms are present, they can include:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Tests may include:
Depending on the size of the polyp, it may be removed. Large polyps are at high risk for becoming cancerous. They should be removed. Usually, polyps can be removed by colonoscopy.
If the polyps are very large, you may need to have surgery to have them removed. Your doctor may send the tissue from the removed polyps to be tested for cancer.
It’s not clear how polyps can be prevented. However, the following guidelines can help you stay healthy and may help prevent not only polyps but also colon cancer:
RESOURCES:
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
http://www.fascrs.org/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
http://www.cdhf.ca/aboutcdhf.htm
The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG)
http://www.cag-acg.org/default.aspx
References:
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons website. Available at: http://www.fascrs.org . Accessed October 11, 2005.
Beers MH, Berkow R. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy . 17th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 1999.
Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine . 16th ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research website. Available at: http://www.mayo.edu/ . Accessed October 11, 2005.
What I need to know about colon polyps. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse website. Available at: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonpolyps_ez/ . Accessed October 11, 2005.
*¹2/5/2009 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php : Kim Y, Kim Y, Lee S. An association between colonic adenoma and abdominal obesity: a cross-sectional study. BMC Gastroenterol. 2009;9:4.
*²5/11/2009 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php : Jacobs ET, Ahnen DJ, Ashbeck EL, et al. Association between body mass index and colorectal neoplasia at follow-up colonoscopy: a pooling study. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;169:657-666.
Last reviewed January 2009 by Daus Mahnke, MD
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