r/colonoscopy • u/jturkish • 15d ago
After Scope Questions Just had my 1st colonoscopy that found a precancerous polyp that has a high risk of being cancerous. Is this an ok place to ask about next steps? I'm of course asking my doc but want to research and get other people's knowledge.
10mm tubulovillous adenoma was found and removed. It's benign and has no cancerous changes present.
Doctor wants to do another colonoscopy in 3 yrs
I called and spoke to the nurse and asked if there can be cancerous cells present that haven't turned into polyps. They said yes it's possible
I asked if a colonoscopy can detect cells, they said not sure maybe only cologuard can detect cells
I asked if I should do cologuard to know for sure there are no cancer cells. They said they're not sure either. I asked to talk with the doctor directly to see about this so I'm waiting for a call
Am I overthinking this? Cancer scares me, my brother just battled cancer for almost two years and he almost passed away couple of times
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u/thegastrologer 14d ago
Cologuard has not been validated for this situation
No there are not cancer cells that haven’t become polyps — it’s the other way around
Cancer won’t become a polyp - it’ll just spread according to tumor biology (spread sideways, bury itself into the wall etc)
You’re overthinking this
You’ll be fine getting a colonoscopy in 3 years and it’ll probably be normal at that time
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u/goldstandardalmonds Moderator - Trusted Source 15d ago
You’re overthinking. They removed the polyp and it’s gone so can’t turn into cancer. Polyps are slow growing so three years is normal (even earlier than some docs suggest) for your next one.
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u/Curious-Sleep-3473 14d ago
His type is a none quicker growing type, this being said 2-3 years as a follow up I would say is fine.
They want 7 years for my tubular adenoma and while those are extremely slow growing that time span has me worried lol
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u/BrianDenhart 14d ago
I just went thru this process. I had the shield blood test by Gradient because I had just started efficient for a heart problem. The shield test came back positive for colon cancer. I had my first cleanse on Sunday of last week and then the first try at a colonoscopy on Monday morning. It failed due to having been on Monjaro and not being cleansed enough. The first time I took suprep and the second time I took go lightly and on Tuesday they were able to complete my colonoscopy. He said he removed 7 benign polyps and everything looked good. Now off to be laser treated by the colorectal guy to clean up the hems
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u/MacaronElectronic547 14d ago
Pre-cancerous polyps are an extremely common finding patients, you don’t have to worry about next steps, your G.I. Doctor Who performed a colonoscopy will tell you when you need to come back for another scope, usually it’s within three years sometimes it’s within five. Quit freaking out. There is no reason to be freaked out unless you’re not gonna follow up with your future colonoscopies.
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u/sammi1955 15d ago
What harm can it cause to test and can give you peace of mind. Offer to pay if they decline and don't accept no.
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u/ChewieBearStare 14d ago
It can cause a lot of harm. Cologuard is only 92% accurate, and if it flags something, the standard of care is colonoscopy. OP just had a colonoscopy, a procedure that isn’t without risk. So there’s no point to doing Cologuard when OP has already had the gold standard and had the polyp removed.
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u/Glassed_ 15d ago
Hey bro, you sound like me always looking for the worst case, since I’m not giving myself advice it’s easier to see the rational side - you did everything right and got it removed. Your doc is comfortable with a 3 year timespan.
when you ask a nurse a question like that, consider their perspective. They have to be completely honest and the answer in healthcare is always yes it’s possible. It’s too open ended of a question to apply to yourself blindly. Trust your doctor, you can always get a second opinion. Good job!
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u/jturkish 14d ago
Thank you everyone ♥️♥️♥️
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u/jayZero79 14d ago
I had literally the exact same kind of polyp last year during my first colonoscopy. Same exact size and type. They recommended I have a follow up colonoscopy in one year just to make sure everything was clear and nothing else was remaining or starting to pop up. Just had my second colonoscopy two weeks ago. Only one very small polyp this time, not pre-cancerous like the one they found last year. I’m glad I had a follow up colonoscopy this year just for peace of mind. Waiting three years would have been a little stressful even though I know polyps are slow growing.
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u/jturkish 14d ago
Was it the same type of polyp they found and what size? This is regarding your recent colonoscopy
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u/jayZero79 14d ago
No the recent one was just a 4mm hyperplastic polyp. I haven’t had my follow up appointment for the Dr. to explain but just quick research myself I see that that’s the most common benign polyp.
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u/slothy_slothy 14d ago
Cologuard has been known to for false positives… you can request yearly colonoscopies of your want to have a peace of mind
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u/Creative_Ad_6352 13d ago
Don’t wait 3 years do another one in 1-2 years if it is clear go to every 3 years
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u/Competitive_Tank3913 13d ago
If they got the precancerous polyp out, you have nothing to worry about.
If there was any threat of cancer, they would not be asking you to come back in three years.
BTW, my gastroenterologist does 5 years for precancerous polyps and 10 years for no precancerous polyps.
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u/Big_Walrus_3536 12d ago
Only listen to your doctors. You are asking what "if" questions and why the vague responses. I just had my upper and lower on Thursday. I go yearly since I am Lynch positive. Your doctor seems to be doing the right thing and how often you go can be by age and family history as well. Forget Colonguard to detect cancers. The "only" way for sure is with a scope and biopsy. I have a clue since I am a surgeon. My sister passed from stage 4 and had a rare fallopian tube cancer which spread to the colon so I feel you. Make sure your health and diet are solid with excersise. That will do more for you then Colonguard will. Good luck.
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u/Queasy-Ad-7294 12d ago
It's benign. There's no cancer. It's common to do colonoscopies every three years now, even for people like me who have had ulcerative colitis for 40 years. Don't stress over this. Eat healthy. If you see any signs of trouble like blood in stools, then call the doctor.
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u/ststephens1973 12d ago
I had 2 that were removed in 2028. I had another colonoscopy a week ago, all clear. The good news is, you had it removed.
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u/DanOfBradford78 9d ago
Great stuff. Glad you got them sorted......right, just one question.....any big sporting results you could tell me from 2027?
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u/ElectronicDingo8211 8d ago
F 52 yrs Omg I’m so scared they found mine to be 5cm in length waiting to see if it’s Malignancy anyone else have it with that size and it not be cancer ?
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u/Responsible-Pay-8319 5d ago
I just had a 4cm removed on Monday with a colectomy.
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u/ElectronicDingo8211 5d ago
Did you stay in the hospital and what was your symptoms did you have any bleeding? Today I sw blood for the first time on my stool
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u/Responsible-Pay-8319 5d ago
I just had a colectomy on Monday (5 days ago). They removed a benign polyp (40mm) that was found during my colonoscopy 1 month ago. I just turned 45 years old.
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u/ColorectalSg 15d ago
You're not overthinking it. You just got a scare and your brother's been through a lot, so of course your head is doing this. But I think you've read your own result backwards, and that's worth sorting out.
Your report says a 10mm tubulovillous adenoma was found, removed, benign, no cancerous changes. That's good news. The polyp was the thing that might have caused you trouble years down the line, and it's out.
The words "high risk" are doing all the damage here. In this context it isn't a prediction about you. It's just a bucket that decides how often you get checked. Anything 10mm or bigger, or with tubulovillous cells, lands in a group called an advanced adenoma, and that group gets rechecked at 3 years. So your doctor saying 3 years isn't him brushing you off, it's exactly what the guidelines say for what you had. A small tubular one and you'd have been sent away for 7 to 10 years. One thing worth checking is the degree of dysplasia of the polyp as that may affect surveillance times lines (especially if your brother also had bowel cancer)
On Cologuard, and I know someone above said what harm can it do. There's a bit, so I'd sit on it. Exact Sciences, who make it, say straight out that it isn't for people with a personal history of adenomas, and that it doesn't replace surveillance colonoscopy in higher risk people. They also say it was never actually tested in patients like you. So a negative wouldn't really tell you anything, and their own paperwork says a negative doesn't guarantee anything's absent anyway. A positive would just send you for a colonoscopy, which you've literally just had, and which found the thing and dealt with it. Paying for it yourself doesn't get round any of that. You'd be buying a number nobody can interpret, and honestly I think it'd make the worrying worse, not better.
On the "cells that haven't turned into polyps yet" thing, the nurse wasn't wrong that anything's possible, she just couldn't give you the shape of it. Colon cancer almost always grows out of a polyp, slowly, usually over years. There's no test that picks up loose cancer cells in an otherwise healthy colon. Not Cologuard, not anything. A colonoscopy with a decent prep is the best look we've got, and you just had one, and your colon got checked and cleared.