Malignant polyps of the colon and rectum

The management of colorectal polyps should be highly individualized. In arriving at a therapeutic decision concerning the treatment of invasive carcinomas arising in colonic polyps, one should have a basic knowledge of the polyps' malignant potential and propensity to metastasize. It is optimal to confirm the presence of invasive malignancy by excisional biopsy examination and weigh the risk of the patient's having involved lymph nodes against the risk of undertaking radical operative treatment. The results reported here give an accurate indication of the risks of metastatic nodal involvement in different types of polyps containing invasive carcinoma.