My Doctor Found Polyps, Now What?
- The polyps will be sent to the lab for testing.
- Your gastroenterologist will let you know the results of those tests and how it affects the frequency of your screening (1, 3, or 5 years until your next colonoscopy).
- Let your immediate family know the test results. If the polyps are considered advanced adenomas (pre-cancerous), your immediate family should begin screening before age 45.
After a colonoscopy, your doctor will consider these things when deciding your future risk for polyps and developing colorectal cancer:
- How many polyps were found
- The size of the polyps
- Where the polyps are in your colon (the right side vs. the left side)
- What type of polyps were found
Polyps grow slowly, so having a few small ones usually means your risk of cancer is still low. If you have larger or more advanced polyps, however, your doctor may want to screen you and your family members earlier than 45.
Risk Factors
Some things that could make you more likely to develop colorectal polyps include:
- Having more than three polyps of any kind
- Finding polyps larger than 1 cm
- Having polyps on the right side of your colon (your sigmoid or transverse colon)
- Finding villous or tubulovillous adenomas (types of pre-cancerous polyps that carry a higher risk of becoming cancerous)
- Finding serrated lesions (like sessile serrated polyps)
- Having a genetic condition that runs in your family (like hereditary polyposis syndrome)
To learn more, click here → https://coloncancercoalition.org/all-about-polyps/
