What You Need to Know About Colon Polyps
Colon polyps are extra tissues that grow in the large intestine. The large intestine, also called the colon, is a part of your digestive system. It is a long, hollow tube at the end of your digestive tract where your body makes and stores stool.
Most polyps are not dangerous. Most are benign, which means they are not cancerous. But over time, some types of polyps can turn into cancer. Usually, polyps that are smaller than a pea aren't harmful. But larger polyps could someday become cancer or may already be cancer. To be safe, doctors remove all polyps and test them.
Anyone can get polyps, but certain people are more likely than others. You may have a greater chance of getting polyps if
You may also be more likely to get polyps if you
But some people do have symptoms like these:
Diagnosis
Your doctor can use four tests to check for polyps: Digital Recta Exam, Barium Enema, Sigmoidoscopy, and Colonoscopy.
Digital rectal exam. The doctor wears gloves and checks your rectum, the last part of the large intestine, to see if it feels normal. This test would find polyps only in the rectum, so the doctor may need to do one of the other tests listed below to find polyps higher up in the intestine.
Barium enema. The doctor puts a liquid called barium into your rectum before taking x rays of your large intestine. Barium makes your intestine look white in the pictures. Polyps are dark, so they're easy to see.
Sigmoidoscopy. With this test, the doctor can see inside your large intestine. The doctor puts a thin flexible tube into your rectum. The device is called a sigmoidoscope, and it has a light and a tiny video camera in it. The doctor uses the sigmoidoscope to look at the last third of your large intestine.
Colonoscopy. This test is like sigmoidoscopy, but the doctor looks at all of the large intestine. It usually requires sedation.
Talk to your doctor about getting tested for polyps if you have symptoms, you're 50 years old or older, or someone in your family has had polyps or colon cancer.
Treatment
Treatment of polyps includes removal of the polyps during sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Or the doctor may decide to operate through the abdomen. The polyp is then tested for cancer.
Eating more fruits and vegetables and less fatty foods, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcohol and smoking may prevent or lower your risk of having colon polyps or other types of polyps.
Eating more calcium and folate can also lower your risk of getting polyps. Some foods that are rich in calcium are milk, cheese, and broccoli. Some foods that are rich in folate are chickpeas, kidney beans, and spinach.
Source:
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) (April 2003). What I Need to Know About Colon Polyps (NIH Publication No. 03–4977). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Web site: http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonpolyps_ez/index.htm#12
Page Last Revised: February 7, 2011
Colon polyps are extra tissues that grow in the large intestine. The large intestine, also called the colon, is a part of your digestive system. It is a long, hollow tube at the end of your digestive tract where your body makes and stores stool.
Most polyps are not dangerous. Most are benign, which means they are not cancerous. But over time, some types of polyps can turn into cancer. Usually, polyps that are smaller than a pea aren't harmful. But larger polyps could someday become cancer or may already be cancer. To be safe, doctors remove all polyps and test them.
Anyone can get polyps, but certain people are more likely than others. You may have a greater chance of getting polyps if
you're over 50. The older you get, the more likely you are to develop polyps.
you've had polyps before.
someone in your family has had polyps.
someone in your family has had cancer of the large intestine.
You may also be more likely to get polyps if you
eat a lot of fatty foodsMost 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.
smoke
drink alcohol
don't exercise
weigh too much
But some people do have symptoms like these:
bleeding from the anus. You might notice blood on your underwear or on toilet paper after you've had a bowel movement.If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor to find out what the problem is.
constipation or diarrhea that lasts more than a week.
Blood in the stool. Blood can make stool look black, or it can show up as red streaks in the stool.
Diagnosis
Your doctor can use four tests to check for polyps: Digital Recta Exam, Barium Enema, Sigmoidoscopy, and Colonoscopy.
Digital rectal exam. The doctor wears gloves and checks your rectum, the last part of the large intestine, to see if it feels normal. This test would find polyps only in the rectum, so the doctor may need to do one of the other tests listed below to find polyps higher up in the intestine.
Barium enema. The doctor puts a liquid called barium into your rectum before taking x rays of your large intestine. Barium makes your intestine look white in the pictures. Polyps are dark, so they're easy to see.
Sigmoidoscopy. With this test, the doctor can see inside your large intestine. The doctor puts a thin flexible tube into your rectum. The device is called a sigmoidoscope, and it has a light and a tiny video camera in it. The doctor uses the sigmoidoscope to look at the last third of your large intestine.
Colonoscopy. This test is like sigmoidoscopy, but the doctor looks at all of the large intestine. It usually requires sedation.
Talk to your doctor about getting tested for polyps if you have symptoms, you're 50 years old or older, or someone in your family has had polyps or colon cancer.
Treatment
Treatment of polyps includes removal of the polyps during sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Or the doctor may decide to operate through the abdomen. The polyp is then tested for cancer.
Illustration of a Polyp being removed by a Colonoscope
If you've had polyps, the doctor may want you to get tested regularly in the future.Eating more fruits and vegetables and less fatty foods, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcohol and smoking may prevent or lower your risk of having colon polyps or other types of polyps.
Eating more calcium and folate can also lower your risk of getting polyps. Some foods that are rich in calcium are milk, cheese, and broccoli. Some foods that are rich in folate are chickpeas, kidney beans, and spinach.
Source:
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) (April 2003). What I Need to Know About Colon Polyps (NIH Publication No. 03–4977). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Web site: http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonpolyps_ez/index.htm#12
Page Last Revised: February 7, 2011
