Bowel polypsOverview




Some people develop just 1 polyp, while others may have a few.

Symptoms of bowel polyps

Bowel polyps do not usually cause any symptoms, so most people with polyps will not know they have them.

They're often picked up during screening for bowel cancer.

But some larger polyps can cause:

Bowel cancer risk


Doctors believe that most bowel cancers develop from adenoma polyps.



Find out more about bowel cancer

Treatments for bowel polyps


This happens during a procedure called a colonoscopy.





This is usually only done when the polyp has some cell changes, if it's particularly large, or if there are a lot of polyps.

After the polyp or polyps have been removed, they're sent to specialists in a laboratory, who'll inform your consultant if:

  • the polyp has been completely removed
  • there's any risk of it regrowing
  • there's any cancerous change in the polyp


Your specialist will be able to advise you on this.

Causes of bowel polyps

Doctors do not know the exact cause of bowel polyps. It's thought that they're caused by the body producing too many cells in the lining of the bowel.


You may be more likely to develop bowel polyps if:

Diagnosing bowel polyps



Monitoring bowel polyps


This is uncommon, but means you'll need examining (by colonoscopy) at regular intervals of around 3 to 5 years.


Page last reviewed: 07/09/2017
Next review due: 07/09/2020