Brief Answer:
No specific action to take except regular colonoscopies

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Tubular adenomas if they get big enough may start to turn into cancer. This is the reason you need to have regular colonoscopies every 3 years. The polyps can be removed when when they are small, before they might become cancerous.

Some people have a genetic tendency to develop polyps. This means you will always be susceptible to developing them, and there really is no specific thing you can do to prevent them or medications you can take. There is some evidence that high fat diets make you more prone to various types of cancer, so avoiding a fatty diet is a good idea for that and many other reasons. Maintaining good health by a healthy diet, including lots of fiber, not getting fat, regular exercise etc all go to keeping you more healthy and preventing cancer.

If you smoke, stop. Smoking contributes to all sorts of cancer. Avoid highly processed foods. There is a question that a daily small dose of aspirin may help some people with colon polyps that can become cancerous, but this is something you should discuss with the doctor who performed your colonoscopy. Taking aspirin regularly can cause other problems and the association between it and preventing colon cancer is questionable, so talk to your doctor.

The polyps grow in the colon and not generally elsewhere. The tubular adenoma is a common type of colon polyp. Fortunately it takes a very long time before it may become cancerous, so getting a colonoscopy every 3 years is enough to detect and remove more polyps before they develop, so that they do not eventually develop into cancer.

No further screening tests are needed at this time since the polyps were all removed. Just the regular colonoscopies should be adequate. Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.

---

Brief Answer:
Takes a few years

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX. Polyps may start to show up within 3 years, so that is why you should have the colonoscopies every 3 years. This is enough time that they don't get too big and turn into cancer. People who have developed polyps are at more risk for them coming back, so follow up is critical. Colon cancer is very slow growing, so getting screened every 3 years is enough to prevent it from developing. You do need to get the screens every 3 years as long as they keep finding polyps. If one time you don't have polyps, you may be able to wait longer until the next colonoscopy. But even people who never had polyps should be getting colonoscopies every 10 years. This is one very good test that has been shown to reduce the occurrence of colon cancer. It just needs to be done regularly because the risk never goes away. Hope this helps.

---

Brief Answer:
Can't say exactly in individual cases

Detailed Answer:
Since people are different, it is hard to say in individual cases how long it might take to develop a polyp to 5 mm, but since the recommendations for colonoscopies are every 3 years, it is most likely about 3 years on the average. If a polyp has developed by the 3rd year, it may be a little smaller or bigger than 5 mm, but it will still be curable by removal so cancer does not develop- in other words, it will not have spread outside the polyp. A polyp can go on developing for more years after that before extensive cancer starts, but why take a chance by waiting more than 3 years? The frequencies at which colonoscopies are recommended for people with polyps are based on the average growth of polyps in the population, and set so that the risk of any cancer progressing is minimal.

---

Brief Answer:
You are very welcome.

Detailed Answer:
Take care of yourself!

---