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Non-Cancerous Polyps

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Posted 11/5/2007 1:04 PM (GMT -6)
I had a colonoscopy done in the beginning of October and polyps were found.  Afterwards I asked my GI doctor about this and she said that the polyps that were found were non-cancerous and was part of the inflammation.  She also said that it was nothing to be worried about.  But I was and still am worried.  Does anybody know if non-cancerous polyps are part of inflammation and should I be worried?I can't seem to find the answer anywhere.

Thanks....

Posted 11/5/2007 1:10 PM (GMT -6)
I've been told the same thing. I'm not to worried at this point but come find me in about 20 years and ask :)
I just hope for the best
Posted 11/5/2007 1:36 PM (GMT -6)
Hi..from my research, you should be concerned and aware. Did the doctor call them pseudopolyps?

Do an intensive search on ulcerative colitis pseudopolyps  as well as ulcerative colitis noncancerous polyps and see what you come up with.

When's your next c-scope?

quincy

Posted 11/5/2007 1:46 PM (GMT -6)

Pseudopolyps?  Nah..my doctor didn't really say anything about it.  She just called them "poylps" and said I shouldn't be concerned.  In fact,  my doctor didn't tell me about it.  I had to ask. 

I don't have another colonoscopy scheduled for now.  I just had some blood work done about a week and a half ago and am waiting for the results.

Posted 11/5/2007 1:56 PM (GMT -6)
as far as I'm concerned a perfectly healthy person has poylps. Not all but most.
Of course being concerned about it is one thing but losing sleep every day because of it isn't. Just my take.
Posted 11/5/2007 11:41 PM (GMT -6)
Hmmm...polyps...any, be them pseudo or polyps are precursers to cancer.

Do your homework, for knowledge is power. I've never had my doc mention polyps..pseudo or otherwise.

Never assume...it's YOUR health...and if you don't think you're being treated properly..for your future health..change doctors.

My take on it.

quincy
Posted 11/6/2007 8:11 AM (GMT -6)
Quincy

You're right. Read last night that even benign polyps are a precurser to cancer, which they found in my colonoscopy. I will look further into this.

Thanks for the heads up.....
Posted 11/6/2007 12:43 PM (GMT -6)
Pseudopolyps are excessively granular tissue "bumps" that should heal as the UC inflammation comes under control. Real polyps have to be removed & biopsied. Experienced scope gastros can usually tell by sight whether a colon polyp is the cancer-threatening variety or not. Most polyps start out looking like Hershey kisses, but they can grow a stem after a while. There are also polyps that look like multiple blobs overlapping each other; they LOOK spooky but are not usually malignant. The type of colon cancer that really freaks out doctors is flat lesion: intramucosal adenocarcinoma. A patient can have that w/o any polyps turning up. Pay attention to your biopsy findings, but don't lie awake worrying at night if your biopsy reports come out clean. Many people develop colon polyps during their lifetime-- not just IBD patients. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission)
Posted 11/6/2007 12:51 PM (GMT -6)
My understanding about this is that having non-cancerous polyps is pretty common. Other people in my family without UC have had them found and removed during colonoscopies. The doctor said they take a few years to develop, so for a person without UC, it's OK to wait a few years until the next c-scope. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for people w/UC, we get c-scopes often enough to catch polyps in the early stages. If the tests come back without dysplasia (precancerous changes, I believe) then I don't worry.
Posted 11/7/2007 11:39 AM (GMT -6)
For timely update on this topic see Salix Pharmaceuticals Newsletter Website, where a recent article by Dr. David Rubin (University of Chicago Medical School) on CRC & IBD gets into the issue of polyps. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

Posted 11/7/2007 12:08 PM (GMT -6)
The doctor should at least be more forward and honest with all the facts rather than off-handedly stating it's nothing to worry about.

Again....do homework and read all the pertinent information. Stats mean nothing when one is of the small percentage where they don't hold true.

WhiteSox...do you have a copy of your colonoscopy?...when did she say for you to have your next c-scope?

What I would probably do if I were in your situation would be to have another one in a year...if all is negative...then do 2 - 3 years.

I agree that IBDers have the benefit of more c-scopes and the knowledge that they are usually slow growing.

If your polyps were limited to the lower part of the colon, your doc could just do a sigmoidoscopy instead of a full c-scope.

5ASA meds are believed to help lower the chance of cancer in IBDers....something you might consider if you're not on them and can take them.

quincy
Posted 11/7/2007 12:46 PM (GMT -6)
When 1st diagnosed with UC in 1980, I had 2 polyps in sigmoid flexure which were chopped out & biopsied after I went into remission. There was no hysteria about it. The next time I had a c-scope where polyp turned up it was 21 yrs later & in a different place. These things happen all the time, whether a patient has IBD or not. I repeat: no need to lie awake worrying about it (them) if biopsy report is clean. The malignancy which doctors worry about is the flat lesion kind! / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

Posted 11/7/2007 2:46 PM (GMT -6)

Thanks for the replies...

Quincy,

I was just recently diagnosed with UC in September of this year and really didn't know too much about it.  Then in October I had my first ever colonoscopy done and went into it blind, not knowing anything.  It's all been pretty much a whirlwind for me and I totally agree with you that my doctor should have been more direct about the polyps given the circumstances.  I have since learned to ask and question everything they tell and prescribe me.  And I didn't even think about getting a copy of my colonoscopy, good point.  I now, also, get copies of my blood work results as well.

My doctor said nothing about another colonoscopy which I'll surely get scheduled in a year to see what the results will be. 

And Old Hat,  it was just a shock to my system that polyps were found because, really,  being diagnosed with UC and everything that followed came totally out of the blue.  I was humming along fine and then all of sudden this happened and to find polyps really scared me because up until this point,  I thought polyps meant cancer and nothing else.  So, it was a little suprising when my doc said not to worry about it.  But my doc knows more about this than I do and I was so desperate at that point for any good news that I took it as is but since started to question it.

And thanks agian for all of this advice.  I really, really appreciate it.

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