Colon Polyps

A polyp is extra tissue that grows inside the body. Colon polyps grow in the large intestine. Most polyps are benign, which means they are not cancer. But over time, some types of polyps can turn into cancer.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Most small polyps don't cause symptoms. Often, people don't know they have one until the doctor finds it during a regular checkup or while testing them for something else. But some people do have symptoms like these:

• bleeding from the anus.
• constipation or diarrhea that lasts more than a week.
• blood in the stool.

The doctor can use four tests to check for polyps:

• Digital rectal exam: An exam of the rectum. The doctor or nurse inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
• Barium enema.
• Sigmoidoscopy.
• Colonoscopy.

Causes

Like cancers, polyps arise from abnormal cell growth. Healthy cells grow and divide under tight regulation by two groups of genes: proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Mutations in any of these genes can cause cells to continue dividing even when they should stop. The result of this unregulated growth is the formation of polyps. Over a long period of time, more mutated genes may cause these polyps to become malignant.

Treatment

The doctor will remove the polyp. Sometimes, the doctor takes it out during sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Or the doctor may decide to operate through the abdomen. The polyp is then tested for cancer.

If you've had polyps, the doctor may want you to get tested regularly in the future.

Reference:

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, USA.