People who have precancerous polyps completely removed should have a colonoscopy every 3-5 years, depending on the size and number of polyps found.
Most polyps grow slowly and take from between 10 and 15 years to become cancerous. Due to this general time frame, most screenings are scheduled every 10 years which gives Colorectal Surgical Associates time to remove any polyps before they become cancerous.
For patients with 1-2 sessile serrated polyps (SSPs) <10 mm in size completely removed at high-quality examination, repeat colonoscopy in 5-10 years. 12. For patients with traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs) completely removed at a high-quality examination, repeat colonoscopy in 3 years.
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.
There is a 25% to 30% chance that a repeat colonoscopy will find additional polyps. How soon you need to return for follow-up depends largely on the size of the polyps found in the first exam. If the colonoscopy finds one or two small polyps (5 mm in diameter or smaller), you are considered at relatively low risk.
Limit alcohol and quit all tobacco use. Stay physically active and maintain a healthy body weight. Talk to your health care provider about calcium and vitamin D. Studies have shown that increasing the intake of calcium may help prevent the return of colon adenomas.
Some people may be predisposed to developing a polyp. It could be genetics or chronic injury to a cell from conditions like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Lifestyle also can affect polyp development, including eating foods like red meat, smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol.
Colorectal polyps should be removed because some can develop into cancer. In most cases, the polyps may be removed during a colonoscopy. For people with adenomatous polyps, new polyps can appear in the future.
Colon cancer, or cancer that begins in the lower part of the digestive tract, usually forms from a collection of benign (noncancerous) cells called an adenomatous polyp. Most of these polyps will not become malignant (cancerous), but some can slowly turn into cancer over the course of about 10-15 years.
Research indicates that as many as 60 percent of polyps may grow back within three years. Also, about 30 percent of patients who've had polyps removed will develop new ones. This is why it is important to talk to the care team about follow-up screening within five years after the polyps are removed.
Why do I need a colonoscopy every three years? Some people who have had certain types of polyps (called adenomas) removed during a colonoscopy may need to get another colonoscopy after three years. 21 This is because adenomas are more likely to turn into cancer.
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!
Not all polyps pose a higher risk for colorectal cancer. But some colon cancers may start as polyps. So, the more polyps you have, the higher your cancer risk. Someone with just one or two small polyps is generally at lower risk of having or developing colon cancer than someone with three to nine, or more.
"Precancerous polyps are extremely common," he says. "We expect to find them in more than a quarter of the colonoscopies that we do at a minimum. So, you know, maybe a third or even a half of all patients getting [a] colonoscopy will have precancerous polyps."
Can polyps come back? If a polyp is removed completely, it is unusual for it to return in the same place. The same factors that caused it to grow in the first place, however, could cause polyp growth at another location in the colon or rectum.
This means cancer and polyps can sometimes go undetected. So, despite having had a 'clear' colonoscopy, some patients go onto develop bowel cancer – referred to as post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (PCCRC) or 'undetected cancer'.
Figure 1 shows the cumulative incidence of colorectal cancer starting 1 year after a negative colonoscopy: 0.4% at 3 years, 0.8% at 5 years and 2.3% at 10 years. The overall incidence rate of colorectal cancer was 1.8/1,000 person-years in the study cohort.
Colorectal cancer can occur in young adults and teenagers, but the majority of colorectal cancers occur in people older than 50. For colon cancer, the average age at the time of diagnosis for men is 68 and for women is 72. For rectal cancer, it is age 63 for both men and women.
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.
Colon polyps are common in American adults. Anywhere between 15 and 40 percent of adults may have colon polyps. Colon polyps are more common in men and older adults.
Precancerous conditions of the colon or rectum are changes to cells that make them more likely to develop into cancer. These conditions are not yet cancer. But if they aren't treated, there is a chance that these abnormal changes may become colorectal cancer.
Doctors don't know why colon polyps form, and not every type of polyp is considered precancerous. However, two-thirds of polyps found through colonoscopy are likely precancerous, Dr. Sand said.
These products go by trade names such as Metamucil and Konsyl. There are also generic forms available. They are useful in treating irregularity, some diseases involving the intestinal tract (such as irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis), and probably in preventing polyps and colon cancer.