Colon polyps are very common, especially after the age of 50. The main problem concerns theirs asymptomaticwhich makes diagnosis difficult especially in the case of small polyps. Recently, even the defense minister Guido Crosetto he underwent surgery to remove three polyps, awaiting tests to understand whether they are benign or malignant. As the professor explains Pierpaolo SileriDirector of the Colorectal Surgery Unit of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Professor of General Surgery at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University – as well as president, together with Paola De Nardi, of the SICCR National Congressin its eleventh edition, which will be held in Milan from 13 to 15 October – there are several aspects to take into consideration: “Colon polyps are an exuberant growth of the lining of the colon which, over time, can evolve towards malignancy. When they are detected during an endoscopic examination, especially if very small, they are removed immediately. The main problem is that some polyps, particularly adenomatous ones, already have alterations within them that can develop into cancer. The adenoma becomes carcinoma, and the carcinoma can grow invasively to the point of metastasizing. All this, however, happens slowly: the adenoma-carcinoma sequence takes years, so the transformation from polyp to malignant tumor is generally a relatively slow process.”
