Bowel polyps
Bowel polyps (or colon polyps) are skin growths that develop along the large intestine (colon) and/or the back passage (rectum). Typically, these growths don’t cause symptoms and are common, with 15-20% of the UK population experiencing them.
Usually, polyps don’t cause any issues. However, there are instances when they can develop into bowel cancer if left untreated. If polyps are discovered in your bowel, contact our clinic to discuss further treatment and removal. You can learn more about this below.
Overview | Symptoms | Causes | Risk factors | Diagnosis | Treatments
Symptoms
Polyps are small, no more than 1cm in size. Due to their small size, they don’t usually cause any issues or symptoms, so the condition generally goes undetected. However, in some cases, they can grow up to several centimetres in size. If the polyps are large, they can cause symptoms to occur.
Large polyps can cause:
- A small amount of rectal bleeding (blood in your poo)
- Mucus when you open your bowels
- Changes in bowel habits, e.g. stool (poo) colour or consistency
- Unexplained weight loss
- Anaemia
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Abdominal pain
Causes
Polyps are an abnormal production of cells and occur randomly. In a healthy bowel lining, the lining is constantly renewing itself by producing new cells. Polyps form when the bowel lining renews itself too quickly and keeps growing cells unnecessarily, forming a bump.
Some hereditary conditions can lead you to develop bowel polyps or bowel cancer, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Gardner’s syndrome.
Risk factors
You may be more prone to developing bowel polyps because:
- You are 50 years old or above
- Your family history – you are more prone to them if you have a parent, sibling, or child with them
- You smoke
- You are drink excessively
- You’re obese
- Lack of exercise and healthy diet
- Your ethnicity
- Diabetes
- You have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Diagnosis
If you are showing symptoms, we recommend getting screening tests done to find and identify the polyps.
Standard screening tests include:
Colonoscopy – This is the most common test to identify polyps. A colonoscopy involves a thin, flexible tube with a small light and camera at the end passed through the rectum and into the bowel. This test helps us see the bowel lining and any abnormalities that might have occurred. Often, we will find polyps in the bowel during a colonoscopy screening for a different condition.
Stool tests – A faecal occult blood (FOB) test may be needed to check for blood or DNA evidence of polyps or cancer in your stool.
Blood tests – These tests may be needed to check for anaemia to identify if there has been any internal bleeding. Blood tests may also be done to test for any hereditary conditions already present in your family history to assess whether you have the same condition.
Other tests may include virtual colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, barium enema, or sigmoidoscopy. Our specialists will walk you through the right diagnostic tests you may need based on your symptoms.
Treatments
An endoscopic removal is usually the main form of treatment for bowel polyps. This involves a colonoscopy. As you are having the colonoscopy, an added grabbing device is fed through the colonoscope to help remove the polyps.
Having both devices together allows us to see where the polyps are accurately and precisely remove them with as little damage to the surrounding lining as possible.
If bowel polyps have been diagnosed, regardless of symptoms or size, they will generally be removed by a specialist. This is just to be safe in case bowel cancer potentially develops from the polyps at a later stage.
In rare cases, surgery to remove the polyps or total removal of your colon and/or rectum (proctocolectomy) may be needed, depending on your diagnosis.
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Book an appointment
Polyps are typically harmless and go unnoticed. However, if your symptoms worry you, book an appointment with us to discuss your condition, and we can decide the best course of action for you.
We are here to answer your questions and help you feel at ease about your digestive health.