Should polyps be removed promptly when they are discovered? Doctors say these three types of polyps must be removed!

According to our ancestors' interpretation of Chinese characters, the word "息" in "polyp" should mean parasitic or epiphytic, which means that "polyp" is extra flesh. Polyps are prone to grow in the stomach, large intestine, gallbladder, and nasal cavity. Clinically, polyps are a general term for a large class of gastrointestinal lesions, which can be further divided into many different types according to the different pathological structures of polyps. The same is true for our gastrointestinal polyps, which can be further divided into hyperplastic polyps, inflammatory polyps, tubular adenomas, villous adenomas, mixed adenomas, etc. Different types of polyps have different probabilities of becoming cancerous, and the canceration rates of polyps of different sizes are also very different.

Whether the polyps on the body will turn into cancer is also closely related to age and bad lifestyle habits: for example, frequent smoking, drinking, overeating, a high-protein diet with a lot of meat and fish, and a low-fiber diet.

Should polyps be removed?

If you are nervous, anxious, or think that having polyps in your gastrointestinal tract is always a big worry and will increase your psychological burden, you can also suggest that our gastroenterologist help you remove the polyps in time during the follow-up gastroenteroscopy and nip the polyps in the bud.

Of course, large polyps still need to be removed in time. If you find large polyps, don’t be too nervous. Now more than 90% of polyps can be removed under colonoscopy. There will be no problem after removal. After the polyps are removed, you will be the same as a normal person, so it is not a big problem.

Three types of polyps must be removed in time

First, adenomatous polyps. When polyps are discovered, doctors will generally conduct a pathological examination to determine the nature of the polyps. If the pathological examination suggests adenomatous polyps, then no matter how big or small, they must be removed in time, because adenomatous polyps are recognized as precancerous polyps.

Second, non-adenomatous polyps larger than 1.5 cm. In addition to adenomatous polyps, there are also inflammatory polyps and hyperplastic polyps. Both of these are non-tumor polyps, but if the polyp is very large and exceeds 1.5 cm, it may still have the possibility of malignancy. Therefore, for large polyps, even if the pathology excludes adenomatous polyps or cancer, they should be removed in time.

Third, polyps that cause discomfort symptoms. Polyps in some special parts, such as nasal polyps, even if they are very small and benign, may block the nasal cavity, cause sinusitis, and difficulty breathing. If you encounter such polyps, they must be removed in time.