Bowel polyps
অন্ত্রের পলিপ
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Bowel polyps are small growths on the inner lining of the colon (large bowel) or rectum. They're common, affecting 15% to 20% of the UK population, and they don't usually cause symptoms.
Most polyps are less than 1cm in size, though some can grow up to several centimetres. They come in different forms:
- some are a tiny raised area or bulge, known as a sessile polyp
- some look like a grape on a stalk, known as a pedunculated polyp
- some take the form of many tiny bumps clustered together
Bowel polyps are not usually cancerous. But if one is found, it will need to be removed, because some will eventually turn into cancer if they're left untreated.
Some people develop just one polyp, while others may have a few. They tend to occur in people over the age of 60.
How are they caused?
Bowel polyps start when the body makes cells in an abnormal way. The lining of your bowel renews itself all the time, and a faulty gene can make the cells in that lining grow more quickly than they should.
Bowel polyps, and bowel cancer too, can sometimes run in families.
What are the symptoms?
Most people with bowel polyps won't know they have them. Polyps usually cause no symptoms, and they're often found by accident.
Some larger polyps can cause problems, though:
- a small amount of rectal bleeding (blood in your stool)
- mucus when you open your bowels
- diarrhoea or constipation
- abdominal pain
Read more: Constipation · Stomach ache and abdominal pain
How are they discovered?
Bowel polyps are usually found by chance, when you have a bowel test for some other reason. One example is a sigmoidoscopy, which is an examination of the last part of the bowel. They can also turn up during screening for bowel cancer.
If polyps are found, you will need a colonoscopy or a CT colonography. Either test lets the doctor view the whole of the large bowel and remove any polyps.
How are they treated?
Doctors have several ways to treat bowel polyps, but the most common is to snare the polyp during a colonoscopy. Snaring works a bit like cutting the polyp off with a cheese wire, and it's painless.
Both methods use a flexible instrument called a colonoscope, which is passed through your bottom and up into your bowel. The colonoscope carries a wire with an electric current, and this either cauterises (burns off) or snares the polyp.
In rare cases, polyps need to be treated by surgically removing part of the bowel. This is usually only done when the polyp has some cell changes or is particularly large.
Once the polyp or polyps have been removed, they are sent to specialists in a laboratory. These specialists will tell your consultant if:
- the polyp has been completely removed
- there is any risk of it regrowing
- there is any cancerous change in the polyp
If there is a cancerous change in the polyp, you may need further treatment (depending on the degree and extent of change). Your specialist will be able to advise you on this.
Outlook
Some people will need more colonoscopies, because bowel polyps can come back. Polyps can also run in families. This is uncommon, but if it applies to you, you'll need colonoscopy checks at regular intervals.
You may be asked to come back for repeat examinations every 3 to 5 years or so. The aim is to catch any new polyps that develop, since they could potentially turn into bowel cancer.