Hyperplastic polyposis of the colorectum and adenocarcinoma in a 24-year-old man.
Hyperplastic polyps in the large intestine are considered common after the age of 40, devoid of neoplastic transformation capability, and have a well-defined histological picture. Nevertheless, there exists evidence that hyperplastic polyps can present with adenomatous areas, eventually leading to carcinoma. There has been a suggestion in certain cases that a transformational sequence might exist in the genesis of colorectal cancer: hyperplastic polyp-adenoma-adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma resulting from a pure hyperplastic polyp has also been described. These data have generated reconsideration of the significance of hyperplastic polyps in relation to cancer. In this paper we present a 24-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the colon who underwent a right hemicolectomy. Twenty-eight hyperplastic polyps were found in the surgical specimen. Two of these polyps had adenomatous areas. The patient died 18 months after the surgical resection.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000328:Adult; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen