Tubular adenomas are small, noncancerous polyps that can form in your colon. Doctors often remove them during a colonoscopy because they can sometimes become cancerous.
An adenoma is a type of polyp — a small cluster of cells that can form on the lining of various organs and tissues throughout your body.
When doctors look at an adenoma under a microscope, they can see small differences between it and your regular tissue lining. Adenomas come in various shapes and typically grow very slowly.
Tubular adenomas are the
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Read on to learn more about how doctors treat tubular adenomas.
Conventional adenomatous polyps will have one of the following growth patterns when viewed under a microscope:
- Tubular adenomas appear to have mainly tube-shaped glands.
- Villous adenomas have long, finger-like projections.
- Tubulovillous adenomas have features of both tubular and villous adenomas.
Although adenomas grow over time, tubular adenomas tend to be smaller (
Other types of polyps
An estimated
- hyperplastic polyps
- inflammatory pseudopolyps
- hamartomas
- juvenile polyps
Adenomas often do not cause any symptoms. If you have an adenoma, you might only find out about it during a colonoscopy.
If you do experience symptoms, they may include:
- rectal bleeding
- changes in bowel habits or the color of stool
- pain
- iron deficiency anemia (low red blood cell counts due to low iron levels)
A doctor will probably remove any adenomas you have because they can turn into cancer. A doctor can do this using a retractable wire loop that they can place through the scope they use during a colonoscopy.
Sometimes, doctors can destroy small polyps with a special device that delivers heat. If an adenoma is very large, surgery might be necessary to remove it.
Doctors cannot usually tell the type of adenoma just by viewing it during a colonoscopy. When they remove the adenoma, they’ll send a sample to a lab for analysis. This is called a biopsy.
A specialized doctor called a pathologist will then analyze the sample under a microscope to determine what type it is and whether it might be cancerous.
Typically, doctors will completely remove all adenomas. If you had a biopsy and your doctor did not fully remove a polyp, you’ll need to discuss what to do next.
After analyzing the biopsy, the pathologist will send your doctor a pathology report that provides information about each of the samples taken.
The report will tell you the type of polyp you have and how much it looks like cancer under a microscope. “Dysplasia” is a term doctors use to describe precancerous or abnormal cells.
Doctors refer to polyps that don’t look much like cancer as having low grade dysplasia. If your adenoma looks more abnormal and more like cancer, your doctor may describe it as having high grade dysplasia.
Once you’ve had an adenoma, you’ll need to have frequent follow-up testing to make sure you don’t develop any more polyps.
Your doctor will probably recommend that you have another surveillance colonoscopy:
| in 1 year | if you had more than 10 adenomas |
| in 3 years | if you had any of the following: • 5 to 10 tubular adenomas • a large adenoma (10 mm or larger) • a villous adenoma • an adenoma with high grade dysplasia |
| in 3 to 5 years | if you had 3 to 4 tubular adenomas |
| in 7 to 10 years | if you had 1 to 2 tubular adenomas |
If you had a large adenoma that the doctor had to remove in fragments, they may recommend a follow-up after
Talk with your doctor about your specific situation and when you might need to have another colonoscopy.
If you’ve had an adenoma, you could be at risk of developing another one. Recurrence is
A history of adenomas also
Still, it’s important to visit your doctor regularly and have all recommended screening procedures.
How serious is a tubular adenoma?
In rare cases, a tubular adenoma may be an early indication of colorectal cancer. But most tubular adenomas do not develop into cancer.
What’s the difference between a polyp and a tubular adenoma?
A tubular adenoma is a type of benign (noncancerous) polyp.
Tubular adenomas differ from other types of benign polyps. Unlike hyperplastic polyps, they are precancerous.
Their growth pattern also differs from those of other types of adenomas.
How often should you have a colonoscopy with tubular adenoma?
How often you have a follow-up colonoscopy after removal of a tubular adenoma will depend on the number of adenomas removed and their size and grade.
If you had a small adenoma removed, you might need a follow-up only every 7 to 10 years. If you had several removed, you might need a follow-up within less time.
At what size does a tubular adenoma become cancerous?
Adenomas don’t become cancerous at a specific size, but larger adenomas are more likely to be cancerous. Doctors typically remove any adenoma they find.
In a
Tubular adenomas are polyps (small growths) that can develop in your colon. Although they’re not cancerous, they could become cancerous if they continue to grow, so doctors typically remove them.
Doctors classify conventional adenomatous polyps based on their structure. Tubular adenomas are much more common than villous adenomas. They’re also typically smaller and less likely to develop into cancer.
Still, it’s important for doctors to remove any adenomas and for you to have follow-up colonoscopies to check for any recurrence. Talk with your doctor to determine how often you should schedule a follow-up.