I found an interesting video on YouTube and tried to find out what it was and ended up learning about polyps! Hope you enjoy.
The "colon is also called the large intestine" (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-colon) and is responsible for the removal of "water, salt, and some nutrients forming a stool" (same website; where there is a good image of the colon and where it sits in the body).
Polyps, generally speaking; "are small growths: some develop into cancer, but it takes a long time" (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-colon). More specifically; 'colonic polyps' are "benign (non-cancerous) tumors or growth which arises on the inner surface of the colon and; like a piece of pipe, the colon is hollow and the inner surface is normally smooth. The cause is not known, but the incidence of polyps increases with age" (http://tinyurl.com/c52u7dl). The risk of developing cancer from the polyps depends on "the type of cell that forms the polyp which varies and is important in determining its potential for developing into a cancer" (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/colonpolyps.htm).
Symptoms; "most colon polyps do not cause symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include blood on your underwear or on toilet paper after a bowel movement, blood in your stool, or constipation or diarrhea lasting more than a week" (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colonicpolyps.html).
You may be wondering then: 'how they are removed or even how they detect whether they are there or not if there aren't any symptoms?' There are certain groups of people who come under a 'larger risk' category; these people include "those over the age of 50, those who have had polyps before, have had a family member with polyps or have had family history of colonic cancer" (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colonicpolyps.html). This does not mean that younger people cannot develop colonic polyps, but the chance increases with age. Therefore; to prevent the development of colonic polyps and then colonic cancer, "experts recommend routine colon cancer testing for everyone age 50 and older who has a normal risk for colon cancer. People with a higher risk, such as African Americans and people with a strong family history of colon cancer, may need to be tested sooner" (http://tinyurl.com/cgsn9ht). There has been research carried out into the idea that African Americans hold a higher risk of developing colonic cancer from colonic polyps as shown in a huge study at this website: http://www.research.va.gov/news/research_highlights/polyps-092408.cfm.
The "colon is also called the large intestine" (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-colon) and is responsible for the removal of "water, salt, and some nutrients forming a stool" (same website; where there is a good image of the colon and where it sits in the body).
Polyps, generally speaking; "are small growths: some develop into cancer, but it takes a long time" (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-colon). More specifically; 'colonic polyps' are "benign (non-cancerous) tumors or growth which arises on the inner surface of the colon and; like a piece of pipe, the colon is hollow and the inner surface is normally smooth. The cause is not known, but the incidence of polyps increases with age" (http://tinyurl.com/c52u7dl). The risk of developing cancer from the polyps depends on "the type of cell that forms the polyp which varies and is important in determining its potential for developing into a cancer" (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/colonpolyps.htm).
You may be wondering then: 'how they are removed or even how they detect whether they are there or not if there aren't any symptoms?' There are certain groups of people who come under a 'larger risk' category; these people include "those over the age of 50, those who have had polyps before, have had a family member with polyps or have had family history of colonic cancer" (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colonicpolyps.html). This does not mean that younger people cannot develop colonic polyps, but the chance increases with age. Therefore; to prevent the development of colonic polyps and then colonic cancer, "experts recommend routine colon cancer testing for everyone age 50 and older who has a normal risk for colon cancer. People with a higher risk, such as African Americans and people with a strong family history of colon cancer, may need to be tested sooner" (http://tinyurl.com/cgsn9ht). There has been research carried out into the idea that African Americans hold a higher risk of developing colonic cancer from colonic polyps as shown in a huge study at this website: http://www.research.va.gov/news/research_highlights/polyps-092408.cfm.
Location and removal of the colonic polyps can be carried out though a procedure known as a "colonoscopy (telescope examination of the whole large bowel starting at the rectum)" (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/colonpolyps.htm) "a thin, flexible, telescope. It is about as thick as a little finger. It is passed through the anus and into the colon" (http://tinyurl.com/clfd5jh) and this is what the video that I found on YouTube shows (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVqgtUHP2z8) with an informative voice over of the whole procedure, starting with the location of the polyp then the 'snaring'. The second polyp removal shows a better picture of what is left afterwards 'a clean base'.
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