Why would my Dr suggest I go back in one year for another colonoscopy because a pre-cancerous polyp was found?!
Question: Why would my Dr suggest I go back in one year for another colonoscopy because a pre-cancerous polyp was found.?
I went for a screening last year and the Dr found a 5mm pre-cancerous polyp which he removed. His office called me to schedule another one for this December. Why so soon.? Everyone else I know that has had this test done even with polyps removed is scheduled for 3, 5 or even 10 years for the next test.
I want to stay healthy, but this kind of seems like 'overkill' to me.Health Question & Answer
I want to stay healthy, but this kind of seems like 'overkill' to me.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Early detection of cancer can lead to complete cure of the cancer.Same cancer eg.precancerous polyp of the colon does not progress to cancer at the same rate in all patients.So doctors check the patients at specific intervals depending on the stage of progression of the disease and their personal experience on the particular type of cancer.If the doctor has advised you to have an annual check up it is better to cooperate with the doctor in your own interest.Health Question & Answer
Well .. kill is the word you should be primarily concerned about. Cancer kills and your polyp was pre-cancerous which means that there is a chance that the next polyp could also be pre-cancerous or even malignant . .no one really knows. Furthermore . . even though you feel that you might have plenty of 'time' to discover whether a polyp is malignant or not . . you may not . . no one really knows so the doctor is being cautious . . because if there is a malignancy it is easier to treat than if you wait. Problem is that tumors are 'graded' according to how fast they grow . . and since you have a pre-cancerous condition no one really knows if you have a slow growing polyp or an aggressive and fast growing polyp. If you have slow growing type . . well maybe you could wait . . but if you have something that is fast and aggressive . . waiting over a year could kill you.
My healthy athletic teenage son had an aggressive abdominal type of cancer which presented within 28 days with multiple tumors . .some the size of volley balls. He had no time at all. He went from a well physical at the end of December to stage IV cancer the first of March. There was no pain. No warning. He didn't even look any different other than a weight gain.
Don't take chances with your life.Health Question & Answer
My healthy athletic teenage son had an aggressive abdominal type of cancer which presented within 28 days with multiple tumors . .some the size of volley balls. He had no time at all. He went from a well physical at the end of December to stage IV cancer the first of March. There was no pain. No warning. He didn't even look any different other than a weight gain.
Don't take chances with your life.Health Question & Answer
I would ask why they feel it's necessary to do this again so soon - but the fact that it was pre-cancerous, they may want to check you now and then put you on a 3 year schedule. Not a pleasant test, but better safe than sorry. I had several polyps removed last year and my doctor wants to see me in 3 years instead of the normal 5 - only because we don't know how long it took those polyps to grow - if nothing changes in 3 years he will put me on a 5 year schedule. But had they been pre-cancerous he probably would have scheduled me for another this year.Health Question & Answer
1) Because your polyp was probably Villous (which is the most aggressive growth type, having the highest mortality rate), and
2) it was very large -- 2 factors that put one at greater risk.
Being checked every 6 months would not be uncommon under those conditions.
What most people do not realize is that the Villious component of the polyp and the size of the polyp correlate with the risk of progression to cancer.
Regarding "everyone else you know", here's why -- 90% of removed polyps do not have those high risk factors, so most people you come across will NOT have the recheck schedule that you do.
6-12 months can mean the difference between life and death for those with higher risk polyps. Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death. We should not judge what might be ok for us as individuals based on medical advice given to the "everyone else" crowd.
I speak from experience. :) Good luck to you.
Health Question & Answer
2) it was very large -- 2 factors that put one at greater risk.
Being checked every 6 months would not be uncommon under those conditions.
What most people do not realize is that the Villious component of the polyp and the size of the polyp correlate with the risk of progression to cancer.
Regarding "everyone else you know", here's why -- 90% of removed polyps do not have those high risk factors, so most people you come across will NOT have the recheck schedule that you do.
6-12 months can mean the difference between life and death for those with higher risk polyps. Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death. We should not judge what might be ok for us as individuals based on medical advice given to the "everyone else" crowd.
I speak from experience. :) Good luck to you.
Health Question & Answer
They do this to keep an eye on it. Sometimes your body can take control over mild things and you won't need treatment. So doctors like to keep an eye on how your condition is progressing or if it is getting worse so that if they need to do something, it won't be too late.Health Question & Answer
just to make sure that there is no cancer or that the precancerous polyp has not returned.Health Question & Answer