The long-term risk of colorectal cancer after rigid-instrument sigmoidoscopy and polypectomy in 1618 patients with rectosigmoid adenomas who did not undergo surveillance was assessed, finding that surveillance may not be of value because the risk of cancer is so low.
Evidence is presented which suggests that most cancers of the colon and rectum have evolved through the polyp‐cancer sequence although the majority of adenomas do not become cancerous during a normal adult life span.
Evidence is presented which suggests that most cancers of the colon and rectum have evolved through the polyp‐cancer sequence although the majority of adenomas do not become cancerous during a normal adult life span.
It is suggested that the condition should be treated as seriously as familial adenomatous polyposis except that regular colonoscopic surveillance may obviate the need for prophylactic colectomy.
The problems associated with this exercise were viewed from a historical perspective and survival analysis of 447 patients receiving surgery for rectal adenocarcinoma was undertaken.
In this Address aspects of the morphology of the polyp-cancer sequence will be described, together with some recent statistics from St Mark's Hospital about the malignant potential of isolated adenomatous polyps and villous adenomas.
Patients with extensive ulcerative colitis whose disability does not warrant early surgery have a clinically important cancer risk after the disease has been present for 10 years and follow up in the manner described reduces the mortality from this complication.
The detection of epithelial changes suggestive of precancer or carcinoma in situ in rectal biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis prompted an investigation into the incidence and extent of such changes in colectomy specimens removed for colitis with and without malignant change.