Table of Contents

What is Bowel Polyps

Bowel polyps are little developments on the inner lining of the big intestinal tract (colon) or anus. Bowel polyps are extremely typical, impacting around 1 in 4 individuals aged 50 or over. They’re somewhat more typical in males. Some individuals establish simply 1 polyp, while others might have a couple of.

Symptoms of bowel polyps

Bowel polyps do not typically trigger any signs, so the majority of people with polyps will not understand they have them. They’re frequently got throughout screening for bowel cancer.

But some bigger polyps can trigger:

a percentage of slime (mucous) or blood in your poo ( rectal bleeding)
diarrhoea or irregularity
discomfort in your stomach ( stomach discomfort)

Bowel Cancer Risk

Polyps do not typically develop into cancer. But if some kinds of polyps (called adenomas) are not gotten rid of, there’s a possibility they might ultimately end up being malignant.

Doctors think that a lot of bowel cancers establish from adenoma polyps. But extremely couple of polyps will develop into cancer, and it takes several years for this to take place.

Because of the threat of bowel polyps turning into cancer, your physician will constantly advise getting polyps dealt with.

Treatments for bowel polyps

There are numerous techniques for dealing with polyps. The most typical treatment includes physically getting rid of the polyp utilizing a wire loop. This takes place throughout a treatment called a colonoscopy. During a colonoscopy a versatile tube called a colonoscope is gone through your bottom and up into your bowel.

The colonoscope has actually a wire connected to it through which an electrical current is passed. The wire is utilized to either burn (cauterise) or cut off (snare) the polyp. Both techniques are pain-free.

Rarely, surgical treatment might be required to deal with polyps by getting rid of part of the bowel.

This is typically just done when:

the polyp has some cell modifications
the polyp is huge
there are great deals of polyps

After the polyp or polyps have actually been gotten rid of, they’re sent out to professionals in a lab, who’ll notify your specialist if:

the polyp has actually been entirely gotten rid of
there’s any threat of it growing back
there’s any malignant modification in the polyp

If there’s a malignant modification in the polyp, you might require additional treatment (depending upon the degree and degree of modification). Your professional will have the ability to recommend you about this.

Causes of Bowel Polyps

The precise reason for bowel polyps is not understood. It’s believed they’re brought on by the body producing a lot of cells in the lining of the bowel. These additional cells then form into a bump, which is the polyp.

You might be most likely to establish bowel polyps if:

a member of your household has actually had bowel polyps or bowel cancer
you have a condition that impacts your gut, such as colitis or Crohn’s illness
you’re obese or smoke

Diagnosing Bowel Polyps

Bowel polyps are typically discovered when your bowel is being took a look at for another factor or throughout screening for bowel cancer. If polyps are discovered, a colonoscopy or CT colonography is required to see the entire of the big bowel and eliminate the polyps.

Monitoring Bowel Polyps

Some individuals with a particular kind of polyp might be at threat of it returning in the future (repeating). Depending on the outcomes of your medical diagnosis your physician might advise you return for additional screening in 1 to 5 years. This is to capture any additional polyps that might establish and possibly develop into bowel cancer.