Bowel polyps
Overview
Bowel polyps are small growths on the lining of the large intestine (colon) or rectum. They're very common and not usually serious, but sometimes they can lead to bowel cancer.
Symptoms
Bowel polyps do not usually cause any symptoms, so most people with polyps will not know they have them. They are often found during acolonoscopy, for example if you're being checked for another bowel condition, like bowel inflammation or cancer. Rarely, larger polyps can cause symptoms such as: a small amount of slime (mucus) or blood in your poobleeding from your bottoma change in your normal bowel habits, such as diarrhoea or constipationlosing weight without trying
Causes
The exact cause of bowel polyps is not known. It's thought they're caused by the body producing too many cells in the lining of the bowel. These extra cells then form into a bump, which is the polyp. You may be more likely to develop bowel polyps if: a member of your family has had bowel polyps or bowel canceryou're over 50 (around 1 in 4 people over 50 will have at least 1 polyp)you have inflammatory bowel disease, which includesulcerative colitisorCrohn's diseaseyou're overweight or smoke
Treatment
Bowel polyps are usually removed while having a colonoscopy. A wire loop that is part of the colonoscope will cut off (snare) or burn off (cauterise) the polyp. This is called a polypectomy and is painless. Rarely, when there are lots of polyps or a polyp is very large, surgery may be needed to remove part of the bowel. After the polyp or polyps have been removed, they're sent to a lab to check if: the polyp has been completely removedthere's any risk of it regrowingthere's any cancerous changes in the polyp If there are cancerous changes in the polyp, you may need further treatment. Your specialist will advise you about this.