Proximal Polyps: When You Find One, Look for Another

In patients who undergo colonoscopic clearing of adenomas followed by colonoscopic surveillance, the initial lesions tend to be found in the distal colon, whereas those detected in subsequent exams tend to be in the proximal colon. Now, researchers have evaluated this effect among individuals who participated in the Polyp Prevention Trial.

All 1864 study participants had adenomas at baseline: 55% in the distal colon only, 27% in the proximal colon only, and 18% in both locations. Patients underwent baseline colonoscopic clearing and then follow-up colonoscopies at years 1 and 4. Adenomas detected at year 1 were considered to have been missed at baseline, whereas those at year 4 were considered recurrences.

At 1 year, 35% of patients had an ad…