Why does a colonoscopy detect more cancers than other methods? A colonoscopy examines the entire length of the lower bowel, and provides the opportunity to remove and biopsy polyps.
What is a polyp? A polyp is a mass of overgrown tissue on the surface of the bowel. By age 50, one in four people have polyps. Removing a cancerous polyp before it penetrates the bowel wall is essential. Virtually all colon cancer develops from adenomatous polyps in the colon, generally referred to simply as colon polyps. A personal or family history of polyps puts one at higher risk for colon cancer. Polyps don’t always become cancerous, but risk of developing cancer increases with the number and size of colon polyps seen. back How frequently are polyps cancerous? Approximately one percent of polyps with a diameter less than a centimeter are cancerous. If there is one polyp that size, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that the doctor remove it and that a repeat colonoscopy is done three to five years later. Without any polyps, the recommended repeat date is ten years later.
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