What does "at least" high grade dysplasia mean?

[Scout]

Nine months ago High Grade Dysplasia was detected in my colon at one location about 15 cm in. Since then I have had four colonoscopies and one sygmoidoscopy, with a total of about 80 biopsies. All were done at major hospitals in very large medical centers. All biopsies were negative except those in the originally discovered area. When I was young I was diagnosed with Chron's disease although two recent Prometheus tests could not confirm its existence and I have no, zero, nada, symptoms of either any form of IBS or cancer. Four Gastroenterologists and three surgeons have told me my only treatment option is to remove my entire colon, quickly or die of cancer. Really? I feel fine, my colon works fine, and so far this things has not progressed in any discernible way. I am afraid there is some standard of practice driving this drastic treatment even though strictly speaking I do not fit the full description of what they are treating. Anyone have any thoughts on other options? I'd like to save the colon and the patient.

[weisssoccermom]

Welcome Scout. Thankfully you had the colonoscopy nine months ago and everything worked out fine. Personally, sometimes I feel that doctors DO go overboard and I can say emphatically that, oftentimes, the 'standard of care' is the most prevalent factor in their minds. I have a friend who had a similar experience. She opted for a treatment that deviated from the 'standard of care' and the docs were forever taking biopsy after biopsy....all were negative....yet they did not seem satisfied and urged her to change her plans and go with the more radical surgery....which she declined. I find it rather disturbing that with only one section of HGD that the docs would even consider this option. You didn't say, but how many polyps were removed at that time? When you indicate that approx 80 biopsies were taken, were these biopsies of colon tissue OR were these polyps that were removed. Oftentimes with Chron's patients, the GI will take biopsies of colon tissue although no polyps exist. If, however, the majority of those 80 biopsies were to remove polyps, well, yes, that would be an issue which you should take very seriously. Although some polyps will never become cancerous, there is no way to know which ones have the propensity to turn cancerous unless they are removed. When a patient has an extensive number of polyps removed (again, assuming that they were polyps) in such a short period of time (nine months), that indicates that your body is a good 'host' for polyp growth and until biopsied, each and every polyp has the very real ability to turn cancerous. Generally, polyps shouldn't just 'appear' in that short period of time so that is also another issue. Finally, even if you had a ton of totally benign polyps in your colon, it is a very real possibility that those polyps could cause a blockage.

If, however, those biopsies were just biopsies of colon tissue and NOT polyps, then you really need to get answers to the questions you have posed. Ask specific questions about what was removed during these biopsies.....tissue or polyps?