Question
What are polyps? Can they be pre-cancerous growths?
31 March 2007. Related: All topics, Opportunistic infections.
I have been positive for about nine years and have been on several Antiretroviral combinations over that time. My VL was 1,000 and my CD4 was about 350 at the end of April and the VL should be undetectable by now.
Last week I had a ‘mini colonoscopy’; [sorry but I can not remember the correct term]. During this procedure they discovered six polyp’s four of which they took biopsies of.
I have some concerns over this. What are polyps? And am I right in thinking they can be pre-cancerous growths?
Am I right in thinking that men on Antiretroviral combinations are more at risk of developing anal cancer?
If the worst comes to the worst what sort of treatment options are available to me?
Answer
Polyp is a term for a skin tag or flap, that are normally harmless, other than looking different to smooth skin. Sometimes polyps from the colon or rectum can be pre-cancerous, which is why they are usually just removed entirely and the risk of further complications is then very low.
While pre-cancerous cells or growths have the potential to progress to cancer, this only occurs in a minority of cases. 95% of all cancers respond to treatment and go into remission – especially if they are found at an early stage.
Although HIV-positive men are at an increased risk compared to HIV-negative gay men, the absolute risk is very low (a study from the Chelsea and Westminster reported only 26 cases from over 8000 patients and 40,000 patient years, since 1986).
Screening and monitoring HIV-positive gay men for early detection of anal cancer is still controversial, and rarely available, unless there are symptoms.
Before worrying about the implications of treatment, it would be much better to find accurate results from the biopsies that the clinic has taken, although treatment includes chemotherapy/radiotherapy and surgery. A couple of weblinks below provide more detailed information.
From NIH leaflet: “Polyps of the colon and rectum are usually benign and produce no symptoms, but they may cause painless rectal bleeding. There may be single or multiple polyps and they become more common as people age. Over time, certain types of polyps, called adenomatous polyps, may develop into cancer. Another common type of polyp found in the colon is called a hyperplastic polyp, which is generally not at risk for developing into colon cancer.”
Polyps greater than one centimeter have a greater cancer risk associated with them than polyps under one centimeter. Risk factors include advancing age or a family history of colon cancer or polyps.
Comment