Is a Tubular Adenoma Polyp Cancerous?
Tubular adenoma polyps can develop cancer, although they are generally benign, says the American Cancer Society. Most polyps are noncancerous, but cancer can develop depending on the type and shape of the growths.
An adenoma is a polyp that forms in the colon, explains the American Cancer Society. Most look very much like the rest of the tissue lining the colon. The tubular adenoma is a small, tube-shape growth that never grows very large and is unlikely to develop cancer. Some of the bigger adenomas have a possibility of developing cancer, such as the villous adenoma. However, tubular polyps do present a cancer risk to patients, states the Hopkins Colon Cancer Center. While the majority of colorectal cancers come from adenomas, a patient with adenomas has less than a 10 percent chance of getting cancer from them.
A patient with adenomas should get them removed as soon as possible to reduce the risk of cancer, advises the Hopkins Colon Cancer Center. During a colonoscopy, a tool is inserted that removes the adenomas. These growths have a mushroom-like shape. They start as small bumps in the lining of the tissue and grow up, with the tissue-dense head attached to a stalk.
