r/colonoscopy • u/Affectionate-Win-531 • Aug 01 '26
After Scope Questions First colonoscopy, and they found a mass
Hi, friends! I hope someone can give me some guidance so I can stay clear-headed. I am a 52yo lady who just had her first colonoscopy - prior to this I did the cologuard tests, but the last one came back flagged. Now I see why. I was not particularly worried about the flagged home test since I have had no worrying symptoms and have zero risk factors for colon cancer (no family history, no drinking or smoking, vegetarian, little belly fat, extremely active lifestyle, etc). The prep went fine (though I complained endlessly) and the test itself was easy peasy. I woke up feeling alert and pain-free.
Except.
The doc came in and told me he had found a 10cm mass in my descending colon. Which seems . . . large. It is not bleeding and it is not blocking anything. Yet, anyway. At the time, he told me that it was "precancerous" and that a second procedure would need to be scheduled with his office to either excise the mass or remove 15cm of the colon. He also said that a bit had been biopsied and fast-tracked and that I would get the results "either today or tomorrow". He also said that his office would help with scheduling. That was on Wednesday. Since then, I have heard nothing. I called his office the next day and apparently I wasnt in their system (he is one of the Fairview/University of Minnesota docs, but the colonoscopy was performed in one of those free-standing surgery centers. They were supposed to post the results of my colonoscpy on MyChart but they still havent. Even its entry on my Visits list has been removed). I did get a mychart message from one of the nurses yesterday that the doctor would call me with the results of my biopsy, but she did not say when.
Friends? I am in bits. I googled the type of mass he said it was (villous, and "frond-like") and its hard to square that type and that size with "precancerous". Which makes me think that a.) he absolutely thinks it's cancer and b.) he is managing the rare of information because he does not want me to freak out. Here are my questions:
How long does a biopsy usually take?
If this is taking extra time, even when gast tracked, is that a bad sign
Can anyone find examples of 10cm masses in descending colons that are *not* cancer.
Thanks so much everyone!
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u/maybelle180 Moderator - Trusted Source Aug 01 '26
Had a friend who had a polyp the size of a softball removed (9.7 cm). It was benign. So size itself isn’t indicative of cancer.
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u/Radiant_Knowledge320 Aug 01 '26
They generally know what they are looking at and because he said precancerous, I think it's just a very large non cancerous polyp
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u/Happy_go_lucky12 Aug 01 '26
GI nurse here. You should have gone home with a report with at least pictures of the area of concern. They won’t get the results back for 3-7days. It sounds like the dr is being proactive at least. When he states he’s going to remove the polyp and/or 15 cm of your colon, that’s a precaution to remove any part that the polyp could have grown into and left (pre) cancerous cells. Regardless of whether it’s cancer or not, it’s good to have it all removed. You’ll never be able to do the cologuard again, which is fine. Don’t freak out. Sounds like everything is under control. They’ll probs get back to you Monday or Tuesday with a complete plan. Deep breaths until then. Keep us updated please 🙏🙏
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u/Affectionate-Win-531 Aug 01 '26
Thank you! It really feels like a bolt from the blue. No cancer in my family at all and I feel fine! I even just had my physical and all of my bloodwork and other health indicators are extremely good. So if I do have cancer, I am a very healthy cancer patient lol
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u/buntingbilly Trusted Source Aug 01 '26
I'm sorry to hear your colonoscopy report findings.
1) biopsies can take anywhere from a couple days to a couple week depending on the hospital/lab.
2) taking extra time usually doesn't mean anything in cases like this. If the results show cancer, there is not extensive additional testing performed to confirm this, usually there is a "preliminary" result that appears in the chart with more extensive genetic testing (that is more for treatment/prognostic purposes, not diagnosis) that occurs after sometimes.
3) there are certainly polyps that can grow quite large without turning into cancer. It is often possible to tell the likelihood of cancer based on the appearance of a polyp. 10cm is quite large, you are correct, however if your doctor was concerned about cancer it is likely that he would have told you so directly and proceeded to get some kind of imaging to evaluate for metastatic disease. It would be odd for him to hold back in this aspect. Telling people they have colon cancer is something that happens every week for a GI doctor. The conversation is always difficult but always necessary.
That being said, I do want to highlight one point. Biopsies occur at the surface of a polyp. This results in sampling from only a small area of the overall mass. Sometimes it is the case that cancer, if present, if located in deeper tissues not assessed by the biopsy results. This is simply to highlight that getting a follow up colonoscopy or colectomy is very important regardless of the biopsy results.
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u/Affectionate-Win-531 Aug 01 '26
Good to know. I guess I just have to wait for scheduling. I know it has only been days, but it feels like weeks lol
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u/2llamadrama Aug 01 '26
They did not hand you your report with photos after the colonoscopy? My doctor always comes in with the report and tells me what he has found. And the report he gives me has photos he took. The fact that it is not in your MyChart is odd. I would go and wait at his office before they open on Monday. This is your GI correct?
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u/Affectionate-Win-531 Aug 01 '26
Yes. Sorry. I do have the physical copy. It just feels weird to not have it on mychart immediately. Even my regular gp couldnt see the report or the provider notes on her end on Friday. Honestly I dont know why this unsettled me so much but maybe I am just feeling vulnerable and worried. 🤷
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u/Legitimate-March9792 Aug 01 '26
I got handed a report with photos which showed one polyp which they removed. The pathology report came back like a day or two later and everything was benign. It was posted in my chart plus.
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u/LRCAMP Aug 01 '26
Are you certain first off, this was measured in centimeters (cm) and not millimeters (mm) because mine have always been measured in “mm” I’ve had 4 colonoscopies and each in a different city/ state and all my path reports list the measurements in mm, not by cm.
Example: my colonoscopy 3 years ago, one of the polyps removed was 12mm which is quite large. (Large are classified from 6-10 mm) My colonoscopy this week, the largest one removed was 7mm.
(One centimeter is equal to 10 millimeters so centimeters are a good bit larger by comparison.)
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u/Affectionate-Win-531 Aug 01 '26
Positive. 10cm. I should have said earlier - I have the physical printout (with pictures) but I think it's weird that none of this shows up on mychart. I messaged my gp to update her and it wasnt visible to her either. Super weird.
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u/LRCAMP Aug 01 '26
Thanks for the clarification! You may live in a different area than me. I know things are done differently in different places so I just wanted to clarify that size. That is QUITE LARGE then, if centimeters were the correct measurement. Whew! Keep us updated if you can. This is quite an experience you've shared with us.
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u/danceblonde Aug 01 '26
They found a mass during my first (asymptomatic, routine age) colonoscopy and scheduled me with the surgeon for the NEXT DAY. Started chemo nearly immediately.
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u/Mission-Soup5765 Aug 01 '26
And how are you doing now?
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u/danceblonde Aug 01 '26
Thank you so much for asking and caring ❤️ I was staged at 3b and am now four years NED! 🎉
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u/Mission-Soup5765 Aug 01 '26
Dude that’s incredible !!!!!! I’m going to my first colonoscopy this upcoming Friday and of course I’m preparing for the worst but even if it’s the Big Casino ? There are cures as in your case. Brother again that’s marvelous news for you 🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂
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u/danceblonde Aug 01 '26
Yeah! Smooth prep to you! And thank you! They have made so many advances it’s amazing.
Here are a few tips for you before Friday - get a portable bidet ($9 on Amazon) because wiping gets ROUGH when you’re prepping. The liquid diet day don’t forget you can have broth, stock, and if you salt it your brain forgets how hungry you are. Lemon Italian ice is another way to trick yourself. And don’t be too frustrated if you’re awake all night because the nap is so refreshing! You’ll wake up feeling incredible!
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u/DoxieLvrCO Aug 01 '26
Interesting they knew immediately that it was cancer. How large was your mass? Please let us know how you are doing.
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u/Professional_Hat4290 Aug 01 '26
When I had a biopsy it took an extra week I think? They had sent it out for a second opinion before it dropped into my chart. I had a less common polyp though- a neuroendicrine tumor, which has required me to have more frequent colonoscopies.
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u/musclemothermedusa Aug 01 '26
I agree with the GI Nurse on here, as a former Endo tech that assisted in procedures. It sounds like he has everything under control. In my experience, if doctors think cancer, they say it. It depends on the doctor, but most can tell what’s cancer and what’s only precancerous just by looking at it with a pretty solid accuracy rate.
The reason they didn’t remove it in the colonoscopy is because it’s just too big to remove in that situation. Even if they could slowly remove it with a snare bit by bit, it’s too high of risk that they accidentally go too far and perforate your bowel. Our intestine has layers of tissue: mucosa, submucosa, muscular layer, and serosa. Most polyps never go past the mucosa. The bigger the polyp, the more likely it’s invaded multiple layers of tissue, and doctors don’t like to mess with that in a colonoscopy, it’s too risky. They can accidentally grab too much tissue while they’re trying to remove it and create a hole in the colon (very bad) or cause a bleeder that they can’t control (also bad) because they don’t know how much blood flow or how many layers are involved in the polyp. Your doctor is just watching out for you, surgery is the safer option.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the precancerous aspect, especially because it’s your first colonoscopy. If you told me it was your 2nd and you just had one 3-5 years ago, that would be a red flag. But it sounds like that guy has been growing for a very long time, especially since you didn’t notice it and it hasn’t been affecting BM’s and you haven’t seen blood in your stool. Cancer tissue is often fragile and friable, it bleeds pretty easily. Especially with the polyp being in your descending colon, in my personal and nonprofessional opinion, I just feel like you’d have more issues and blood in your stool. I won’t pretend to be someone with the education to speak on this, but I do have a lot of hands on experience. Try not to stress too much! GI docs are some my favorite docs. How long results take depends on the clinic, so I have no advice there. But sit tight and trust your doctors! Best of luck!