Adenomatous Polyps

Colon Polyps

Adenomatous polyps are a common type. They are gland-like growths that develop on the mucous membrane that lines the large intestine. Colon and rectal polyps can lead to colon cancer if the polyps are not removed during a colonoscopy. They have a proclivity to transform into a malignancy.  Adenomatous polyps have between a 5% and 40% chance of becoming a colorectal cancer, depending on which type of polyp exists on the lining.  Additionally,  the larger the polyp, the greater the chance that it will become a cancer or already is a cancer.  Polyps less than 1 cm in size are less often troublesome.  Over 1 cm in size, and the polyp has a greater chance of harboring or developing a malignancy.

From this it is obvious that obtaining a colon and rectal screening via a colonoscopy, will lessen your chances that you will have to deal with a colon or rectal cancer.

There are 2 common types of polyps, the hyperplastic polyp and the adenomatous polyp. The adenomatous polyps are further subdivided into 3 groups, the tubular adenoma, the tubulovillous adenoma and the villous adenoma.  These are all fancy medical terms for a “bad” type of polyp.   There is also a serrated adenoma which has an even higher risk of malignant transformation.

• Tunular adenoma – An adenoma is a type of polyp, or a small cluster of cells that forms on the lining of your colon.
• Tubulovillous adenoma –  A type of polyp that grows in the colon and other places in the gastrointestinal tract and sometimes in other parts of the body. These adenomas may become malignant (cancer).
• Villous adenoma – These are sessile growths lined by dysplastic glandular epithelium, whose risk of malignancy is especially high up to 50% when greater than 2 cm in size. Large size, villous content, and distal location are all associated with severe dysplasia in colorectal adenomas.