Expert: Karen Brawner - 10/19/2003

Question
dear expert:
I'm very concerned about this. I'm a 16 year old male and I think I have a polyp growing in my colon/anus... I know it's not necessarily cancer but can it evolve into it? As far as I know, my family doesn't have a background with colon cancer, and I have a balanced diet (I don't even eat cow's or pig's meat), so I would like to know if I'm in danger here. Can teenagers get colon cancer? Well I know I have to visit a doctor but I want some advice before I tell my parents about this, because they're probably going to be scared (I detected the "polyp" on the night of this October's Sunday 19th).
I hope you can help me!

Answer
Dear Carlos,   Most polyps are non-cancerous....  However, some polyps can be PRE-cancerous....  This means that the type of polyp COULD develope into cancer...

YES, you need to tell your parents and get to a doctor... You need a physical exam by the doctor and if the doctor feels this COULD be a polyp and not something else, he will order a colonoscopy or another test to actually SEE inside of you to tell if this is a polyp or not...

Tell your parents ASAP and get to a doctor.

Thank you,   karen