Colon polyps are growths on the lining of your colon and rectum.You can have more than one colon polyp.
Colon and rectal cancer most often begins as polyps. Over time, some polyps can become cancerous. Removing polyps can help prevent cancer of the colon and rectum. Colon cancer is one the most common causes of death from cancer.
Everyone has a chance of developing colon polyps and colon cancer. However, some people are more likely to develop them than others. You may have a greater chance of developing polyps if
Screening is testing for diseases when you have no symptoms. Finding and removing polyps can help prevent cancer of the colon or rectum. Your doctor will recommend screening for colon and rectal cancer at age 50 if you don't have health problems or other factors that make you more likely to develop colorectal cancer.2
If you are at higher risk for colorectal cancer, your doctor may recommend screening at a younger age, and you may need to be tested more often.
If you are older than 75, talk with your doctor about whether you should be screened. For more information, read the current colorectal cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
Most people with colon polyps don't have symptoms, so you can't tell that you don't have polyps because you feel well. When colon polyps do cause symptoms, you may
Many other problems can cause these symptoms. If you have bleeding from your rectum or blood in your stool, you should contact your doctor right away.
Experts aren't sure what causes colon polyps. However, research suggests that certain factors, such as age and family history can increase your chances of developing colon polyps. Learn who is more likely to develop colon polyps.
Your doctor can only find colon polyps by using certain tests or procedures. Your doctor may also find polyps while testing you for other problems.
Taking a medical and family history may help a doctor determine which test is best for you.
After taking a medical and family history, your doctor will perform a physical exam to help determine what testing is best for you.
A stool test is the analysis of a sample stool.
Your doctor will give you a test kit and instructions for taking a sample at home. For some tests, you may need to change your diet for a few days before the test. You will receive instructions on where to send or take the kit for analysis.
Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure that uses a flexible, narrow tube with a light and tiny camera (called a sigmoidoscope) on one end to look inside your rectum and lower colon.
The procedure can show irritated or swollen tissue, ulcers, and polyps. During the procedure, the doctor can take a biopsy. You won't feel the biopsy.
Colonoscopy is a procedure that uses a long, flexible, narrow tube with a light and tiny camera on one end to look inside your rectum and colon (called a colonoscope).
Colonoscopy can show irritated or swollen tissue, ulcers, polyps, and cancer. A trained specialist performs this procedure. The colonoscope has a tool that can remove polyps. A trained specialist typically removes polyps that he or she finds during colonoscopy. A pathologist will check the polyps for cancer.
Virtual colonoscopy uses computerized tomography (CT) to look inside your rectum and colon. CT machines use a combination of x-rays and computer technology to create images. Virtual colonoscopy can show irritated or swollen tissue, ulcers, and polyps. Doctors can't remove polyps during virtual colonoscopy. If virtual colonoscopy shows a polyp, doctors will most often recommend a colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and remove the polyp.
A lower GI series is an x-ray that doctors use to look at your large intestine. For the procedure, you'll be asked to lie on a table while a health care professional inserts a flexible tube into your anus. Next, the health care professional fills your large intestine with barium, which makes polyps show up more clearly on x-rays. Doctors most often use lower GI series in combination with flexible sigmoidoscopy, because flexible sigmoidoscopy doesn't examine the entire colon.
Doctors treat colon polyps by removing them.
In most cases, the doctor uses special tools to remove colon polyps during colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy. During some procedures, doctors may use a special method they call endoscopic mucosal resection to remove some larger polyps. In endoscopic mucosal resection, doctors inject a solution underneath the polyp or apply suction to lift the polyp away from the healthy colon tissue. Doctors then remove the polyp. After the doctor removes polyps, he or she sends them for testing. A pathologist will check the polyps for cancer. Doctors can remove almost all polyps without surgery.
If you have colon polyps, your doctor will ask you to have regular testing in the future because you have a higher chance of developing more polyps.
If you have any of the following symptoms after the removal of a colon polyp, you should call your doctor right away.
Researchers don't know of a sure way to prevent colon polyps. However, you can take steps to lower your chances of developing colon polyps.
Eating, diet, and nutrition changes-such as eating more fruits, vegetables, and foods with vitamin D-may lower your chances of developing colon polyps.
You can make the following healthy lifestyle choices to help lower chances of colon polyps:
Taking a low dose of aspirin every day might help prevent polyps. However, taking aspirin daily may cause side effects, such as bleeding in your stomach or intestines. Talk with your doctor before starting to take aspirin daily.
Research suggests that the following changes may have health benefits and may lower your chances of developing colon polyps:
Some research suggests that getting more calcium and vitamin D may lower your chances of developing polyps. Some foods rich in calcium are
Foods that contain vitamin D include
Some companies add vitamin D to their milk and milk products. Also, being outside in the sunlight helps your body make vitamin D. You can also talk with your doctor about taking calcium or vitamin D supplements. For safety reasons, talk with your doctor before using dietary supplements or any other nonmainstream medicine together with or in place of the treatment your doctor prescribes.
Research suggests that eating less of the following foods may have health benefits and may lower your chances of developing polyps:
-NIH
