title: High rate of advanced colorectal polyps in a 10-year-long retrospective study in Qazvin, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polyps are common lesions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Colon cancer is mostly a result of progression from polyps. The present study aimed to evaluate demographic, clinical, and histological characteristics of colorectal polyps in Iran, particularly neoplastic and advanced types.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a period of 10 years, specimens of all colorectal polyps obtained from colonoscopy were studied. The variables subjected to statistical analysis were age, sex, and the chief clinical complaint of the patients who underwent colonoscopy, their motivation, and the site, size, and histological types of detected polyps. The level of significance was set at p value<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were obtained from a total of 352 patients. No difference was seen between male and female patients regarding histological types. Only in nine patients was screening the reason for colonoscopy. Almost two-thirds (66.2%) of the polyps were neoplastic. Familial polyposis syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease were seen in 4.3% and 3.0% of the patients with neoplastic polyps, respectively. Sites of polyps were the sigmoid, rectum, and descending colon in 40.1%, 34.5%, and 17% of the cases, respectively. The advanced type made up 58.8% of neoplastic polyps. Only 3.6% of the patients undergoing colonoscopy in the study period had biopsied polyps.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No difference was observed between male and female patients in terms of overall incidence of polyps, histological and anatomical profiles, and mean age distribution. Anatomical and histological profiles agreed with the studies performed in areas with a low risk of colon cancer. The findings show that colonoscopy was not performed when it was necessary. A meaningful increase in the number polyp biopsy cases and a corresponding decrease in polyp size in the last few years of the study can be associated with the presence of more GI specialist clinicians in hospital centers, and this holds out much hope for the further improvement of the situation in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran E-mail : mhdebtehaj@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hajmanoochehri
authors.forename: Navid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.forename: Bashir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rasoli
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebtehaj
mesh_terms: D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012007:Rectum / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies