These lumps may occur within the abdomen, the abdominal wall, or outside the abdominal area. Known as desmoids, these are benign lesions which may develop after bowel surgery, or less commonly, before FAP has been diagnosed. Again, extracolonic growths vary from patient to patient, even within members of the same family, and in other cases, may not develop at all. There is no known medical cure for this disease. Due to the large number of adenomas in the colon, surgery is required to prevent colon cancer.
Early diagnosis means early treatment and an improved outcome for the patient.
There are several types of surgery available for FAP, depending on the patient and the stage of disease in the colon. In each of the following operations, the patient's individual needs and circumstances are considered. Since part of the rectum remains, the patient must be sigmoidoscoped lifelong at regular intervals to ensure that no new adenomas develop. If the remaining rectum contains only a few polyps, these can be removed or destroyed through the sigmoidoscope. This operation is not suggested if a patient already has cancer, if there are too many rectal adenomas, or if the patient will not return for ongoing examination after surgery.