Washington DC [US], March 14 (ANI): Researchers find in a study that two types of colon polyps can raise bowel cancer risk fivefold. These two polyp types may represent separate cancer pathways that can occur at the same time. Nearly half of patients with serrated polyps also had adenomas, making this high-risk combination more common than expected.

The results emphasise the importance of early detection and regular colonoscopy monitoring. Researchers from Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre have identified an important connection between two common types of bowel polyps and a greater risk of cancer.

Their findings appear in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CGH). Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is a major health concern.

In Australia, it ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death and the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer.

Many colorectal cancers begin as polyps, which are growths that develop on the inner lining of the bowel. These growths are usually benign and cause no immediate harm.

However, two specific types of polyps, adenomas and serrated polyps, have the potential to develop into cancer over time.

Colonoscopy Study Reveals Fivefold Increase in Risk

To better understand this risk, researchers reviewed more than 8,400 colonoscopy records. The analysis showed that people who had both adenomas and serrated polyps faced a much higher likelihood of developing advanced precancerous changes.

In fact, the risk was up to five times greater compared with people who had only one type of polyp.

"Polyps are common and usually harmless, but when both types appear together -- what we call synchronous lesions -- the risk of serious bowel disease or cancer rises sharply," says Dr Molla Wassie, lead author and researcher at the FHMRI Bowel Health Service.