The exam takes approximately twenty minutes and is usually not uncomfortable. They leave shortly after the procedure and can resume light duties the rest of the day. Since colonic polyps form by the hundreds and thousands in FAP, they cannot be removed individually. Surgical removal of the colon is the only effective treatment. While the thought of having surgery may be upsetting, it must be done to prevent colon cancer from forming.
Polyps begin forming as young as puberty.
When polyps are detected, a colorectal surgeon should be involved in the care of the patient to help guide the timing of surgery. There have been advances in the way that operations are performed. Depending on the situation, any of the following operations may be performed with the aid of small holes in the abdomen called laparoscopy or through the standard abdominal incision called laparotomy. During the operation, the surgeon removes the patient's colon but leaves 5 inches of the rectum. The small intestine, or ileum, is then surgically joined to the upper rectum.