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| Colon Polyps and Cancer |  The colon begins in the right-lower abdomen and looks like a big question mark as it moves up and around the abdomen, ending in the rectum. It is 5 to 6 feet long. The colon has a number of functions including withdrawing water from the liquid stool that enters it so that a formed stool is produced. |
A polyp is a growth that
occurs in the colon and other organs. These growths, or fleshy tumors are
shaped like a mushroom or a dome-like button, and occur on the inside lining of
the colon. They may be as small as a tiny pea or larger than a plum. It is
important to note that while colon polyps, in time, become malignant. In fact,
in most cases that larger the polyp, the more likely it is to contain cancer
cells. "While colon polyps start out as benign tumors, some polyps, in time, become malignant…the larger the polyp, the more likely it is to contain cancer cells." |