A polyp is a small growth of excess tissue that often grows on the lining of the large intestine, also known as the colon. Colon and rectal polyps occur in about 25 percent of men and women ages 45 and older. Not all polyps will turn into cancer, and it may take many years for a polyp to become cancerous.
They can occur anywhere in the large intestine or rectum, but are more commonly found in the left colon, sigmoid colon, or rectum.
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.
There are two main categories of polyps, nonneoplastic and neoplastic. Nonneoplastic polyps typically do not become cancerous. Neoplastic polyps include adenomas and serrated types. Adenomas are the most likely to turn into cancer if given enough time to grow.
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!
How long does it take for a polyp to turn into cancer? The growth and mutation of colon polyps into cancer is a slow process, taking an estimated 10 years on average.
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.
Depending on their size and location in the colon, serrated polyps may become cancerous. Small, serrated polyps in the lower colon, also known as hyperplastic polyps, are rarely malignant. Larger serrated polyps, which are typically flat (sessile), difficult to detect and located in the upper colon, are precancerous.
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.
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).
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.
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 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%. The survival rate drops to 14% if the cancer spreads to distant parts of the body.
Because of this, it's important to keep up with colon cancer screening. Some people with colon polyps may experience these symptoms. Pain. Large polyps can obstruct the bowel and cause abdominal pain or cramping.
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. The size of a polyp typically does make a difference.
If the colonoscopy finds one or two small polyps (5 mm in diameter or smaller), you are considered at relatively low risk. Most people will not have to return for a follow-up colonoscopy for at least five years, and possibly longer.
In most cases, no. 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.
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.
It may take up to 10 years for some polyps to become cancerous. Screening tests, including a colonoscopy, can help detect colon polyps.
Patients who initially had one polyp showed 15% of advanced polyp recurrence within 3 years. Conclusions: Recurrence of advanced polyp is very rare within one year after polypectomy. Patients with single polyp have low risk and thus, their surveillance may be delayed beyond the standard 3 years.
Pain. Persistent pain in the abdomen usually occurs with a large polyp as it begins to cause an obstruction in the colon.
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.
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.
The procedure takes between 20 minutes to one hour.