Treatment for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)

"Adenomatous polyps occur in the gastrointestinal tract and may develop from other tumors. They are usually nonpainful and are found in the colon. The majority of colorectal polyps, and some adenomas, are benign.\n" - Anonymous Online Contributor

"The cause of adenomas is not well understood. It is likely that the process involves combination of a number of genetic and environmental factors. Some viruses have been implicated in the cause of adenomas." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"In the United States, about 8.7 million procedures are performed annually in non-surgical settings for adenoma or hyperplasia. Most are related to adenoma or hyperplasia of the colorectum as the patient is most likely to seek medical care following a screening colonoscopy. Many more procedures are performed for adenomatous or hyperplastic polyps in the esophagus than in the colon--a condition which, if not treated, seldom has symptoms. The yearly number of new diagnoses of both adenoma and hyperplasia of the esophagus, larynx and stomach may thus be about 2 to 8 million." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Adenoma can produce a number of symptoms, but no one adenoma is the cause of all symptoms. The treatment of adenoma depends on the cause of the symptoms. Adenoma of the bladder is usually dealt with by cystoscopy and sometimes by surgical excision. A number of treatments may be appropriate for a patient with symptoms of adenocarcinoma, but often radiotherapy is the mainstay. Adenomatosis can produce significant symptoms, and may require surgical excision. A minority of adenomas produce symptoms from a mass. In these cases, radiotherapy may be required. A small proportion of patients may require hormonal or other treatment." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"In practice doctors are usually unsure of the significance of many of the signs. Although not a sign of adenoma, the possibility of cancer is raised by changes in bowel habit. The most important signs of cancer are weight loss, blood in the stool, and pain when swallowing. The signs of bleeding do not necessarily imply cancer, as may be the case in ulcerative colitis. Pain may be caused by a peptic ulcer. Most of the time physicians think the only possibility is ulcerative colitis. However, 10% of patients with severe ulcerative colitis may have adenoma attached to the colonic mucosa of which the endoscopic appearance would mimic a malignant lesion." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Data from a recent study suggest that for those at high risk for colorectal neoplasia, careful medical evaluation and careful decision making in the context of one's values can improve quality of life. The treatment regimen did not have an effect on the quality of life of individuals who had adenomas. Further research should investigate other aspects of colorectal neoplasia treatment, including the impact of the disease and lifestyle interventions." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Adenomas tend to be a consequence of an underlying cause. The risk of an adenoma is much higher with cigarette smoking and less with physical activity." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Results from a recent clinical trial indicates that familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) accounts for 2.0% of [colorectal cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/colorectal-cancer) (CRC) cases in Japan, while it is much lower in the western world. Results from a recent clinical trial also support that sporadic cases of CRC, especially advanced CRC (Stage IIA, IIB, or IIIC cancers) are caused by CRCs in an underlying FAP. The underlying FAP of CRC cases in Japan (1:27,000 cases) are mostly autosomal dominant ones whereas the underlying FAP of CRC cases in the West are largely autosomal recessive (1:600,000 cases). We speculate that CRC in Japan may be a phenotype associated with sporadic CRC in the West." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Patients with AA and AP adenoma are more likely to be non-Hispanic than those with AP AA. However, the risk of cancer progression is still elevated in the group with AA adenoma, but not in the AP group; this difference cannot be explained by ethnicity. The authors therefore do not know whether AP patients with AA adenoma are actually at increased risk for cancer progression." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Most benign adenomas warrant surgical removal before they cause a disease complication. The prevalence of malignancy is less than 1% for patients with small carcinomas and less than 5% for patients with adenomas larger than 2 cm in diameter. Patients with large lesions that cause symptoms should undergo a biopsy and proceed with treatment as needed before the adenoma is removed because the incidence of malignancy is so low." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Treatment with sorafenib [vs. placebo] did not result in increased severity of side effects when compared to placebo in patients with advanced solid tumors. Treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors with sorafenib has been well tolerated despite a high incidence of side effects. Sorafenib-treated patients receiving interstitial radiation therapy for brain metastases experienced increased toxicity rates compared to those treated with radiation therapy alone. There appears to be no increased risk of malignancy associated with sorafenib therapy. The incidence and frequency of grade ≥ 2 diarrhea or nausea/vomiting increased significantly with sorafenib and interstitial brachytherapy but not with sorafenib alone." - Anonymous Online Contributor