High Smoking Rates in Patients with Hyperplastic Polyposis Syndrome

To meet WHO criteria for hyperplastic polyposis syndrome (HPS), patients must have one of the following criteria: ≥5 hyperplastic polyps proximal to the sigmoid colon (at least 2 of which are ≥1 cm in diameter), a total of >30 hyperplastic polyps, or any hyperplastic polyp proximal to the sigmoid colon in a person with a first-degree relative who has HPS. No genetic basis for HPS has been defined, prompting investigators to identify other potential risk factors.

In a case-control study, researchers in Australia analyzed data from smoking-history questionnaires completed by 32 patients with WHO-defined HPS, 298 controls whose colonoscopy results showed no evidence of polyps, and 614 randomly selected, population-based controls. Current smokin…