What you need to know about polyps in your colon



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"In general, we encourage all adults 50 years of age and older, and even those with at least 10 years of very high quality life expectancy, to participate in screening," said Kisiel.

He said you might be surprised at how often colonoscopies discover hidden polyps in your colon.

"Precancerous polyps are extremely common," he said. "We expect to find at least in more than a quarter of the colonoscopies we do at least so, you know, maybe a third or even half of patients undergoing (one) colonoscopy will have polyps precancerous. "

Although one colorectal cancer is diagnosed in one in 20 Americans during its lifetime, Kisiel said that having polyps does not necessarily mean that you will have cancer.

"Of all the polyps we see, only a minority will turn into cancer," he said. "Sometimes they go on their own, but polyp removal is considered one of the mechanisms to prevent the formation of cancer."

That's why regular screening is so important.

The disadvantage is that if a polyp is found in your colon, you may need to be screened more frequently. But it's certainly better than having to undergo treatment for colorectal cancer.

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