Colorectal Polyp
Colon polyps are not commonly associated with symptoms. Occasionally rectal bleeding, and on rare occasions pain, diarrhea or constipation may occur because of colon polyps. Colon polyps are a concern because of the potential for colon cancer being present microscopically and the risk of benign colon polyps transforming over time into malignant ones. Since most polyps are asymptomatic, they are usually discovered at the time of colon cancer screening. Common screening methods are digital rectal examination (DRE), sigmoidoscopy (usually flexible sigmoidoscopy, using a flexible endoscope, but more rarely the older rigid sigmoidoscopy, using a rigid endoscope), lower gastrointestinal series (barium enema), colonoscopy, and virtual colonoscopy. The polyps are routinely removed at the time of colonoscopy either with a polypectomy snare (first description by P. Deyhle, Germany, 1970) or with biopsy forceps. If an adenomatous polyp is found with sigmoidoscopy or if a polyp is found with any other diagnostic modality, the patient must undergo colonoscopy for removal of the polyp(s). Even though colon cancer is usually not found in polyps smaller than 2.5 cm, all polyps found are removed since the removal of polyps reduces the future likelihood of developing colon cancer. When adenomatous polyps are removed, a repeat colonoscopy is usually performed in three to five years.
Most colon polyps can be categorized as sporadic.
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