Bowel polyps

Polyps are usually less than 1cm in size, although they can grow up to several centimetres. There are various forms:

some are a tiny raised area or bulge, known as a sessile polyp some look like a grape on a stalk, known as a pedunculated polyp some take the form of many tiny bumps clustered together

Bowel polyps are not usually cancerous, although if they’re discovered they’ll need to be removed, as some will eventually turn into cancer if left untreated.

Some people just develop one polyp, while others may have a few. They tend to occur in people over the age of 60.


some are a tiny raised area or bulge, known as a sessile polyp some look like a grape on a stalk, known as a pedunculated polyp some take the form of many tiny bumps clustered together

Bowel polyps are not usually cancerous, although if they’re discovered they’ll need to be removed, as some will eventually turn into cancer if left untreated.

Some people just develop one polyp, while others may have a few. They tend to occur in people over the age of 60.


Some people just develop one polyp, while others may have a few. They tend to occur in people over the age of 60.

Symptoms

Most people with polyps won’t be aware of them as they produce no symptoms and are often discovered by accident.

However, some larger polyps can cause:

a small amount of rectal bleeding (blood in your stool) mucus to be produced when you open your bowels diarrhoea or constipation abdominal pain