Pain. A large colon polyp can block part of your bowel, leading to crampy abdominal pain. Rectal bleeding. This can be a sign of colon polyps or cancer or other conditions, such as hemorrhoids or minor tears of the anus.
Cancerous polyps may cause no symptoms at all. But if you do have symptoms, they depend on where the polyp is located: Colorectal polyps may cause belly pain, constipation, diarrhea or blood in your poop. Stomach polyps may cause nausea, belly pain, vomiting and bleeding.
Most people with polyps won't be aware of them as they produce no symptoms and are often discovered by accident. However, some larger polyps can cause: a small amount of rectal bleeding (blood in your stool) mucus to be produced when you open your bowels.
If a polyp has cancerous cells, they will also biopsy nearby lymph nodes to determine if the cancer has spread or metastasized to other areas of the body. In this case radiation, chemotherapy or other therapies may be recommended. Colonoscopy screenings can be life saving!
Your doctor can't usually tell, simply by looking at a polyp during a colonoscopy, if it's cancerous. But if a polyp is found during your colonoscopy, your doctor will remove it and send it to a lab for a biopsy to check for cancerous or precancerous cells.
A gastroenterologist, the specialist who usually performs a colonoscopy, can't tell for certain if a colon polyp is precancerous or cancerous until it's removed and examined under a microscope.
How Long Does It Take A Polyp To Become Cancerous? Most polyps grow slowly and take from between 10 and 15 years to become cancerous.
A colon polyp is a small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon. Most colon polyps are harmless. But over time, some colon polyps can develop into colon cancer. Colon cancer can be fatal when found in its later stages.
If the cancer has not spread and is localized to the colon, then the 5-year survival rate is 91%. However, if the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues or lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 72%.
If a cancerous polyp is removed completely during colonoscopy with no cancer cells at the edges of the polyp, then no additional treatment may be needed. If there are cancer cells at the edges of the polyp, additional surgery may be needed.
Colonoscopies don't spread cancer
Regardless of what doctors may find during your colonoscopy, you can rest easy knowing that the procedure won't spread any cancer that may be present.
Common Symptoms of Colon Polyps
Changes in Bowel Movements – Sometimes colon polyps can lead to constipation or diarrhea that persists for longer than a week, as well as general changes in bowel habits.
Cancerous polyps tend to grow slowly. It is estimated that the polyp dwell time, the time needed for a small adenoma to transform into a cancer, may be on average 10 years (17).
If your doctor finds precancerous polyps, there is no need for any additional treatment as long as they remove the entire polyp. Removing the tissue stops the development of cancer.
If your doctor finds one or two polyps less than 0.4 inch (1 centimeter) in diameter, he or she may recommend a repeat colonoscopy in 7 to 10 years, depending on your other risk factors for colon cancer. Your doctor will recommend another colonoscopy sooner if you have: More than two polyps.
Polypectomy. In the early stage when they are smaller, polyps can be removed by putting a tube with a tool in the rectum and cutting the cancer out. Minimally invasive surgery. Polyps that are too large or that can't be removed safely during screening are usually removed surgically.
Studies show that few smaller polyps are cancerous. As polyps slowly grow, however, the cancer risk rises. It's estimated that it takes about 10 years for cancer to form into a colorectal polyp.
Doctors treat colon polyps by removing them. In most cases, doctors use special tools during a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy to remove colon polyps. After doctors remove the polyp, they send it for testing to check for cancer. A pathologist will review the test results and send a report to your doctor.
They look like bumps growing from the inside lining of the bowel protruding out. They sometimes grow on a “stalk” and look like mushrooms. Some polyps can be flat. People can have several polyps scattered in different parts of the colon.
Polyps are common in American adults, and while many colon polyps are harmless, over time, some polyps could develop into colon cancer. While the majority of colon cancers start as polyps, only 5-10% of all polyps will become cancerous.
Polyps are benign, meaning that they're not cancer and they won't spread, but over time certain types can develop into cancer. One of these types is called adenomatous polyps. These are known as pre-cancerous polyps. Polyps bigger than 1 centimeter have a greater cancer risk than polyps under 1 centimeter.
Approximately 1% of polyps with a diameter less than 1 centimeter (cm) are cancerous. More than one polyp or a polyp that is 1 cm or bigger places you at higher risk for colon cancer. Up to 50% of polyps greater than 2 cm (about the diameter of a nickel) are cancerous.
It is considered an abnormal growth, but in many cases, they are found to be benign (commonly in the early stages). However, over time polyps can become large and malignant if they aren't treated. Many polyps are found to be pre-cancerous, which means they have the potential to turn cancerous if they aren't removed.
Villous Adenoma (Tubulovillous Adenoma)
This type of polyp carries a high risk of turning cancerous.