Hi All!
I recently had a colonoscopy (Feb 20, 2017) due to intermittently blood on tissue after BM. A "pecan" sized flat polyp was found and biopsied. The surgeon was unable to remove it by scope due to it's size. The biopsy came back as "precancerous" . The doctor ordered a CT scan with contrast, liver profile and CEA. All came back normal. No mass seen on CT. The CEA is 1.25 which the doctor said was normal. At that point she said this is all very good news and now all you have to do is get it out. She believed I would have successful removal at a larger endoscopy center that has more advanced equipment. I was referred to the metro area near me, to an endoscopy center. When I inquired prior to the procedure about whether it was ESD or not, the nurse seemed to not know what I was referring to. The 2nd colonoscopy was done Mar 22, 2017 and when I woke from sedation the GI doctor told me he was unable to remove with snare and I would need surgery, laporoscopic of course. After discharge I made an appointment with the surgeon I was referred to by the GI doctor. Meanwhile I received the biopsy results from the 2nd scope.
Rectal polyp, partial removal by hot snare. Multiple fragments of tubulovillous adenoma with at least high grade dysplasia/intramucosal adenocarcinoma, with some areas suspicious for invasive carcinoma. Lynch syndrome negative. The size is 9x7x6 mm.
I then saw the recommended surgeon the next day and had a not so great experience in terms of bedside manner etc. But was told " so we will remove about a foot of your colon and we should be able to put it all back together as it is now". He went on to explain that it was probably high enough that there would be enough to anastomose the colon and rectum. I wasn't comfortable with the way this very serious (to me) procedure was being explained and regarded.
The next day I requested an appointment at a well known cancer treatment and research facility in my state.
I guess my concern is that my polyp is considered large but it is still less than an inch long and the surgeon I saw immediately wanted to cut out a foot long section. No one has mentioned the ESD procedure I've read about and there is no imaging that supports this polyp has moved beyond the colon. Is it possible that this was the easiest or most common way to deal with this rather than the best way for me and this particular polyp?
Also, the first doctor reported the biopsy was precancerous only. The second biopsy has all these other cancer terms thrown in there. 1 month apart, is so much change or advancement possible or is this from a more advanced lab or something else?
I will get to the bottom of all of this soon but the wait is unnerving due to the urgency the surgeon placed on the need for a colectomy. They said it could wait some time but not months. Reading some of the posts on here I think maybe I'm worrying a little too much about this but one doctor said precancerous and it just needs to get out and then another acts as if it needs to be removed in the next month and taking a foot of colon is the only answer.
Sorry so long, I tend to be wordy.