Finding Polyps In Colonoscopy: Early Detection, Big Impact

A proactive step for colon cancer prevention can take an unexpected turn when your physician finds a polyp during a colonoscopy.

Taking control of your health through preventive measures like colon cancer screening can significantly impact your future well-being. By finding and removing polyps during a colonoscopy, you can reduce your chances of future cancer.

What Are Polyps?

Polyps are abnormal growths that can develop on the inner lining of the colon or rectum.

"Colon polyps are little growths on the inside lining of your colon," said Zohair Ahmed, MD, a Franciscan Physician Network gastroenterologist at Franciscan Health Michigan City. "It's a group of cells that grow. You can say they kind of may represent a mushroom that's growing out of the ground or a pimple, and it's mainly just a group of abnormal cells that are growing in your colon."

You may be at higher risk of polyps in colon if you:

• Are over 45
• Have a family history of developing polyps in colon
• Are overweight
• Smoke cigarettes
• Have diabetes

Why Does Detecting Polyps Matter?

Most polyps are benign, meaning they are not cancerous. However, some types of polyps, called adenomatous polyps, have the potential to become cancerous over time.

"The type of polyp matters because certain polyps are higher risk than others," said Evan Fitz, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. "There's nothing that you need to look for because you can't look in your own colon, so you wouldn't know what type of polyp you have. That job is on us to be able to find the polyps and tell you exactly what's wrong with them."

"The chances that a single polyp will ever develop into a colon cancer are somewhere around the range of 1%, but about 98% of cancers started out as a polyp. We don't know which of that 1% of polyps is ever going to turn into a cancer, so we go ahead and we take them out at the time of the colonoscopy to help prevent them ever from becoming a cancer."

Identifying and removing polyps during a colonoscopy is crucial because it interrupts the progression from benign growths to cancerous tumors. In fact, nearly all colorectal cancers arise from precancerous polyps, making their detection and removal a key strategy in preventing the disease.

What Happens If I Polyp Is Found During A Colonoscopy?

If any polyps are detected during a colonoscopy, they can be removed immediately using specialized instruments passed through the colonoscope, a thin, flexible tube.

Removing polyps during a colonoscopy is typically a straightforward procedure. Small polyps may be removed by simply snipping them off with a wire loop or biopsy forceps. Larger polyps may require more advanced techniques, but these can often be performed during the same procedure.

Why Is Polyp Removal Important?

The good news is that polyps can be easily removed during a colonoscopy. This simple procedure significantly reduces your risk of developing colorectal cancer in the future. By removing adenomatous polyps, you eliminate the possibility of them developing into cancer later. Studies show that removing polyps during a colonoscopy can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by up to 90%.

Removing polyps during a colonoscopy also prevents the need for additional procedures in the future. By eliminating precancerous growths early, individuals can significantly lower their chances of developing colorectal cancer later in life.

Once removed, the polyps are sent to a laboratory for analysis. This helps determine the type of polyp and whether any additional monitoring or treatment is necessary.

"If I see anything that looks weird, if I see a polyp, I remove it or I'll biopsy it, and then after that it's done," Dr. Fitz said. "It usually takes somewhere in the range of 15 to 20 minutes. And after that, we tell you whether you need to have a colonoscopy in 10 years because everything was great or five years if we saw a couple of polyps and we maybe just want to keep a little bit of a closer eye on you or we'll call you with the biopsy results."

How Does Removing A Colon Polyp Impact My Recovery?

Removing polyps in general does not impact your recovery from a colonoscopy, Dr. Fitz said.

"Polyps are tiny. In general, there are usually around five millimeters," he said. "So if I take a polyp out versus I don't take a polyp out, there's almost never a difference in that patient's recovery. Now, sometimes I would say about 1% of the time somebody might have a little bit of bleeding afterwards, after the colonoscopy. I always tell them to watch that. But 99% of those patients, it's very self-limited. It happens once or twice and then it goes away. Very, very rarely is there a serious complication of a colonoscopy. And if I take a polyp out, the chances that you'll have a normal recovery (from a colonoscopy) is basically the same as if I didn't."

Do At-Home Tests Detect Polyps?

At-home stool sample tests look for the DNA changes that suggest a polyp is cancerous.

"So while it does a good job of catching cancer, it doesn't do a great job of catching polyps before they turn into a cancer," Dr. Fitz said. "If your colonoscopy is abnormal and we find a polyp, we remove it right there and we're done. If your at-home test is abnormal, well, you still need your colonoscopy."

Will Finding Polyps In My Colon Mean I Need A Colonoscopy Sooner?

Finding polyps in your colon is one of many risk factors that impact how often you will need to have your next colonoscopy. In general, people with a history of polyps may need more frequent screenings to ensure that new growths are detected and removed promptly.

"The bigger the polyp, the more worrisome it is," Dr. Fitz said. "I would say one centimeter is, or basically a little under half an inch is our cutoff for what we would consider a high-risk polyp. And that may prompt if you had a one-centimeter polyp, it may prompt me to say, maybe let's do another scope in one year or three years and keep a really close eye on you just to make sure that we're not letting anything get out of hand or get to advanced for us."

Detecting and removing polyps during a colonoscopy is a vital component of colorectal cancer screening. It not only helps prevent the development of colorectal cancer but also ensures early intervention and treatment.

"Screening is important because it actually saves lives," Dr. Fitz said. "Not only are we finding cancers early, are we finding polyps early, but we're actually decreasing the chances of colon and rectal cancer mortality. And over the past 25 years, this has decreased, which is an extremely important thing."