If a doctor discovers colon polyps, they will often remove them and test for cancer. If cancer is present, cancer specialists will outline a treatment plan, which may include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Colon polyps are small growths that appear in the lining of the large intestine and protrude into the intestinal canal. Most colorectal cancers start as polyps. However, not all polyps turn into cancer.

If a doctor discovers polyps, they will often remove them via a colonoscopy or laparoscopy. The doctor will then send any removed polyps to a pathologist for a biopsy to see if cancer is present.

If the biopsy reveals that cancer is present, then cancer specialists will outline a treatment plan. Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

This article discusses what happens once a doctor removes a polyp that contains cancer. It also looks at the different types of polyps.

If a biopsy detects colon cancer, a doctor will determine the best course of treatment and explain the next steps.

There are a number of different treatment options.

Surgery

Surgery is frequently the main treatmentTrusted Source for early stage colon cancer. The surgery type may vary depending on a number of factors, including:

  • the stage of the cancer
  • its location,
  • the goal of the surgery

If the cancer has not spread then the doctor may suggest removing the cancerous polyps, usually through a colonoscopy.

If the cancer has spread to the muscles surrounding the colon, the doctor may opt for a colectomy. This involves removing part or all of the colon.

There are two types of colectomy. In an open colectomy, the surgeon operates through a larger incision in the abdomen. In a laparoscopic colectomy, the surgeon carries out the procedure through small incisions using a laparoscope.

If a surgeon only removes a part of the colon, this procedure is called a hemicolectomy, partial colectomy, or segmental resection. The surgeon will take out the cancerous part of the colon along with a small segment of colon on either side.

If the surgeon removes all of the colon, this is known as a total colectomy. This approach is rarer than partial colectomy for colon cancer.

Issues that may lead to a total colectomy include familial adenomatous polyposis with the presence of hundreds of polyps and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Learn more about surgery for colon cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill dividing cancer cells and stop them from growing. A doctor may recommend chemotherapy if the colon cancer has spread.

During chemotherapy, the cancer care team administers medication that targets any rapidly dividing cells. However, the medication also targets healthy cells.

The healthy cells can often recover from chemotherapy damage, whereas cancer cells cannot.

The chemotherapy medication travels through the entire body and it can have adverse side effects, some of which can be severe. Therefore, chemotherapy treatment mostly takes place in cycles, allowing the body adequate time to recover between doses.

Common side effects of chemotherapy includeTrusted Source:

  • nausea and vomiting
  • fatigue
  • decreased appetite
  • hair loss
  • dry mouth
  • changes in taste
  • constipation

If a doctor recommends chemotherapy as a treatment, the benefits are often very likely to outweigh any of the adverse side effects.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is a possible treatment method for cancer, often as chemoradiation when combined with chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy involves using radiation to target a specific area of the body. This can involve using a beam of radiation or putting a radioactive substance inside the body.

Both methods break up the DNA of cancer cells. This disrupts their growth and stops them from dividing.

However, radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells instantly. It usually takes a number of days or weeksTrusted Source of treatment before the cancer cells begin to die. The targeted cells then continue to die for a period of weeks or months after the radiation therapy has ended.

A doctor may decide to use radiation therapy to reduce the size of a tumor before surgery takes place. Sometimes a doctor will use radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells after surgery.

The 5-year relative survival rate for people with colon cancer depends on the stage.

If the cancer has not spread and is localized to the colon, then the 5-year relative survival rate is 91%Trusted Source.

However, if the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues or lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 72%.

The relative survival rate is 13% if the cancer spreads to distant parts of the body.

Learn more about the outlook for colon cancer.

A relative survival rate helps give an idea of how long a person with a particular condition will live after receiving a diagnosis compared with those without the condition.

For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate is 70%, it means that a person with the condition is 70% as likely to live for 5 years as someone without the condition.

It is important to remember that these figures are estimates. A person can consult a healthcare professional about how their condition is going to affect them.”

Colon polyps are protrusions in the lining of the colon. They are oftenTrusted Source sporadic, but can also be a symptom of other issues.

Polyps are common in older people. They occur in around 30% of adults over the age of 50 years in the United States.

Some polyps can turn into cancer over time. These polyps are known as precancerous.

There are different types of polyps.

Hyperplastic polyps

Hyperplastic polyps are the most commonTrusted Source polyp type in the colon. They are also sometimes known as inflammatory polyps.

Hyperplastic polyps are generally not precancerous and are unlikely to develop into cancer.

If a person has particularly large hyperplastic polyps, then a doctor may decide to carry out a colorectal cancer screening to check for other cancerous polyps.

Adenomatous polyps

Adenomatous polyps can turn into cancer and are therefore considered to be a precancerous condition. However, they can remain benign.

There are three different growth patterns of adenomatous polyps: tubular, villous, and tubulovillous.

Tubular adenomatous polyps are small and develop a tubular shape, while villous adenomas feature finger-like or leaf-like projections. Tubulovillous adenomatous polyps develop a mixture of both villous and tubular growth patterns.

Sessile serrated polyps (SSPs)

SSPs are similar to adenomatous polyps in that they can also progress into cancer.

SSPs have a high risk of cancer. They are oftenTrusted Source hard to detect as they mostlyTrusted Source sit behind a mask of mucus in the colon.

Polyps usuallyTrusted Source do not present any symptoms. However, they sometimes cause blood to appear in the stool, or cause a person to have:

A doctor can detect polyps as a part of a routine screening during a colonoscopy. It can take 10 to 15 yearsTrusted Source for a polyp to develop into cancer, so early detection may prevent the condition.

A doctor may recommend removing a polyp to check for cancer. There are various methods of removing polyps.

Colonoscopy

A doctor will often remove polyps during a colonoscopy. This procedure involves passing a colonoscope through the rectum and into the colon.

The colonoscope has a camera and a wire attached to the end. This wire can burn or cut the polyp free from the colon wall.

The doctor will then remove the polyp from the body and send it to a pathologist who will test it for cancer.

Laparoscopy

If the polyp is particularly large or difficult to reach during a colonoscopy, a doctor may decide to remove it during a laparoscopy.

This is a surgical procedure that usually begins with a small incision in the abdomen or pelvic region. The doctor will then use a device called a laparoscope to remove the polyp.

The laparoscope is a slender device that has a light and a camera on its end. It can also have tools that the doctor can use to cut the polyp free.

Understanding biopsy reports

Once a doctor has removed a polyp from the body, they usually will send it off for a biopsy. This involves analyzing a piece of tissue under a microscope.

The analysis can often determine whether the polyp is cancerous or not.

Routine biopsy results can take 1 or 2 daysTrusted Source to come back once the sample has arrived at the lab, though the timeframe may differ for each facility.

During the biopsy the pathologist will either find normal or abnormal results.

Normal results mean that no cancerous or abnormal cells were present in the sample. In this instance, the polyp is labeled benign and not cancerous.

If the biopsy produces abnormal results, it means that the pathologist detected cancerous cells. This means that the polyp is cancerous.

Colon polyps are small growths on the lining of the colon. Some types of polyp can develop into cancer.

If a doctor discovers polyps, such as during a routine screening, they will often remove them via a colonoscopy or laparoscopy. The doctor will then send any removed polyps to a pathologist for a biopsy to see if cancer is present.

If the biopsy reveals that cancer is present, then cancer specialists will outline a treatment plan for the person. Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.