Colorectal polyps
Glossary Item Attributes
Identifying and definitional attributes | |
Metadata item type: | Glossary Item |
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METEOR identifier: | 564110 |
Registration status: | Health, Standard 29/08/2014 |
Definition: | Small growths of colon tissue that protrude into the colonic or rectal lumen. They are usually asymptomatic, but sometimes cause visible rectal bleeding, and, rarely, other symptoms. Polyps may occur individually but it is common for a person to have multiple polyps. They occur more commonly in later life, and hereditary and dietary (lifestyle) factors may play a part. Polyps may become cancerous and are generally defined as 2 main types:
Polyp number, size and microscopic features may also predict the likelihood of a polyp becoming cancerous, with larger and flatter (non-stalked) polyps having the higher risk. During a colonoscopy polyps are removed, thus lowering the risk of bowel cancer developing in the person. |
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