Are Serrated Polyps Markers for Advanced Colorectal Neoplasia?

The heterogeneous group of lesions known as serrated polyps is commonly subdivided into hyperplastic polyps, sessile serrated polyps (also called sessile serrated adenomas), and true serrated adenomas. Although some types of serrated polyps are believed to share molecular alterations (including BRAF mutations, the CpG island methylator phenotype, and microsatellite instability) with colorectal cancers (CRCs), we know little about the malignancy potential of the entire group.

To determine whether large serrated polyps are associated with elevated risk for synchronous advanced neoplasia, researchers performed a cross-sectional study of 4714 asymptomatic, average-risk individuals who underwent screening colonoscopy as part of a fecal DNA test s…