INTRODUCTION 

This note provides information about polyps and what can be done about them.
Some kinds of polyps - called adenomas - may advance to cancer. Not all adenomas advance to cancer. However, it is necessary to remove all polyps as we do not know by looking at them which ones will advance to cancer.
The evidence indicates that having polyps removed, reduces by half the chance of developing subsequent bowel cancer.

WHAT IS A POLYP?

Polyps can be found on the lining of the large bowel and they appear as a knob of tissue. There are many types of polyps. but the most important one to detect and remove is the adenoma as this is the main type related to bowel cancer.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A POLYP?

Often people don't know they have polyps as there are usually no symptoms. Some people who have a family history of bowel cancer or symptoms of rectal bleeding or abdominal pain have their bowel checked with colonoscopy. It is in this way that polyps are often found.

HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSE POLYPS?

This examination of the bowel will detect polyps. You are sedated during this procedure. A flexible tube called a colonoscope with a built in light and video camera is passed through the back passage (anus) in the bowel. This allows us to see the lining of the bowel. If polyps are detected, they will be cut away using electrocautery. This is called a polypectomy.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER COLONOSCOPY?

The polyp will be examined in a laboratory under a microscope to determine its nature. The results will be available within 2-3 days. Your doctor will then advise if and when you should next be checked.

CAN POLYPS COME BACK?

Yes they can recur. The laboratory results will indicate whether you need another colonoscopy or not. The interval between the first colonoscopy and the next one can vary between 1 and 5 years. This depends on the size, number and type of adenoma detected. This repeat process is called "colonoscopic surveillance".