Polyp (medicine)

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Polyp (medicine)

A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane

Mucous membrane

The mucous membranes are linings of mostly germ layer origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line various body cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organ ....
. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated stalk

Pedicle

Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:*pedicle of vertebral arch , the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures...
it is said to be pedunculated. If no stalk is present it is said to be sessile. Polyps are commonly found in the colon

Colon (anatomy)

The colon is the last portion of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from feces before they are defecation from the body....
, stomach

Stomach

In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
, nose

Nose

Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for Respiration in conjunction with the mouth....
, sinus(es)

Paranasal sinus

Paranasal sinuses are air-filled spaces, communicating with the nasal cavity, within the bones of the skull and face....
, urinary bladder

Urinary bladder

In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a solid, muscle, and distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. It is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior to disposal by urination....
and uterus

Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
. They may also occur elsewhere in the body where mucous membranes exist like the cervix

Cervix

The cervix is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall....
and small intestine

Small intestine

In vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, birds, and bony fish, the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach, and is where the vast majority of digestion takes place....
.

n polyps are uncommonly associated with symptoms. Occasionally rectal bleeding

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding, commonly abbreviated LGIB, refers to any form of bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract....
, and on rare occasions pain

Pain

Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
, diarrhea

Diarrhea

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
or constipation

Constipation

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Colorectal polyp

Colon polyps are uncommonly associated with symptoms. Occasionally rectal bleeding

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding, commonly abbreviated LGIB, refers to any form of bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract....
, and on rare occasions pain

Pain

Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
, diarrhea

Diarrhea

Constipation

Constipation, costiveness, or irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system in which a person experiences hard feces that are difficult to expel....
may occur because of colon polyps. Colon polyps are a concern because of the potential for colon cancer being present microscopically and the risk of benign colon polyps transforming with time into colon cancer. Since most polyps are asymptomatic, they are usually discovered at the time of colon cancer screening with either digital rectal exam (DRE)

Rectal examination

A rectal examination or rectal exam is an internal examination of the rectum such as by a physician or other healthcare professional.The digital rectal examination is a relatively simple procedure....
, flexible sigmoidoscopy

Sigmoidoscopy

Sigmoidoscopy is the minimally invasive medicine examination of the large intestine from the rectum through the last part of the colon . There are two types of sigmoidoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, which uses a flexible endoscopy, and rigid sigmoidoscopy, which uses a rigid device....
, Barium enema

Barium enema

A lower gastrointestinal series, also called a barium enema, is a medical procedure used to examine and diagnose problems with the human colon ....
, colonoscopy

Colonoscopy

Virtual colonoscopy

Virtual colonoscopy is a medical imaging procedure which uses x-rays and computers to produce two- and 3D computer graphics images of the colon from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way to the lower end of the small intestine and display them on a screen....
. The polyps are routinely removed at the time of colonoscopy either with a polypectomy snare (first desciption by P.Deyhle ,Germany, 1970)(10) or with biopsy forceps. If an adenomatous polyp is found with flexible sigmoidoscopy or if a polyp is found with any other diagnostic modality, the patient must undergo colonoscopy

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is the endoscopy examination of the large Colon and the distal part of the ileum with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus....
for removal of the polyp(s). Even though colon cancer is usually not found in polyps smaller than 2.5 cm, all polyps found are removed since the removal of polyps reduces the future likelihood of developing colon cancer. When adenomatous polyps are removed, a repeat colonoscopy

Colonoscopy

Inherited Polyposis Syndromes

Familial adenomatous polyposis
Familial adenomatous polyposis

Familial adenomatous polyposis is an inherited condition in which numerous Polyp s form mainly in the epithelium of the colon . While these polyps start out benign, malignant into colorectal cancer occurs when not treated....
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

Peutz-Jeghers, also known as Hereditary Intestinal Polyposis Syndrome, is an autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by the development of benign hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract....
Turcot syndrome
Turcot syndrome

Turcot syndrome is the association between familial adenomatous polyposis or Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and brain tumors like medulloblastoma, malignant glioma....
Juvenile polyposis syndrome
Juvenile polyposis syndrome

Juvenile polyposis are a type of polyp and can present in both children and adults. The polyps are a growth that projects into the lumen like a mushroom, arising from the tissue underneath the epithelium layer ....
Cowden disease
Bannayan-Zonana syndrome
Bannayan-Zonana syndrome

Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome is a rare hamartomatous disorder with occurrence of multiple subcutaneous lipomas, macrocephaly and hemangiomas....

Non-inherited Polyposis Syndromes

Cronkhite-Canada disease
Cronkhite-Canada disease

Cronkhite?Canada syndrome is a rare syndrome characterised by multiple Polyp of the digestive tract. It is sporadic , and it is currently considered acquired and idiopathic ....

Types of colon polyps

malignant polyp
Adenoma
Adenoma

An adenoma is a collection of growths of glandular origin. Adenomas can grow from many organs including the colon , adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, etc....
tous
Hamartomatous
Hyperplastic
Inflammatory

Endometrial polyp

An endometrial polyp or uterine polyp is a polyp or lesion

Lesion

A lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury....
in the lining of the uterus (endometrium

Endometrium

The endometrium is the inner membrane of the mammalian uterus....
) that takes up space within the uterine cavity. Commonly occurring, they are experienced by up to 10% of women. They may have a large flat base (sessile

Sessility (medicine)

In medicine, sessility is a characteristic of tumors and Polyp that lack a stalk, as opposed to those that are pedunculated....
) or be attached to the uterus by an elongated pedicle

Pedicle

Pedunculated

Pedunculated is a medical term that is used to describe having or supported on a peduncle, which is a stalk. A pedunculated polyp is a common form of polyp....
). Pedunculated polyps are more common that sessile ones. They range in size from a few millimeters to several centimeters. If pedunculated, they can protrude through the cervix

Cervix

Vagina

The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....
. Small blood vessels may be present in polyps, particularly large ones.

Nasal polyp

Cervical polyp

A cervical polyp is a common benign

Benign

A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks all three of the malignant properties of a cancer. Thus, by definition, a benign tumor does not grow in an unlimited, aggressive manner, does not invade surrounding tissue , and does not metastasize....
polyp or tumor

Tumor

A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be Benign neoplasm, Carcinoma in situ or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
on the surface of the cervical canal

Canal of the cervix

In the anatomy of the female reproductive system, the canal of the cervix is the spindle-shaped, flattened canal of the cervix, the neck of the uterus....
. They can cause irregular menstrual

Menstruation

See also "Mensuration", a term sometimes used to describe Measurement, particularly in the context of forestry.Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining ....
bleeding but often show no symptoms. Treatment consists of simple removal of the polyp and prognosis is generally good. About 1% of cervical polyps will show neoplastic change which may lead to cancer

Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
. They are most common in post-menstrual

Menstruation

See also "Mensuration", a term sometimes used to describe Measurement, particularly in the context of forestry.Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining ....
, pre-menopausal

Menopause

The Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation which occurs a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan.The word was first applied to humans, and because of this it literally means the cessation of monthly cycles or menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots meno and pausis ....
women who have given birth. 10 Deyhle, Peter: Results of endoscopic polypectomy in the gastrointestinal tract, Endoscopy, Suppl. 1980, 35 - 46 PMID7408789

Footnotes

External links

. Dr. Brian Saunders MD FRCP; St. Mark’s Academic Institute; Harrow, Middlesex, UK. Retrieved April 9, 2008.