Hamartomatous polyps - a clinical and molecular genetic study.

Hamartomatous polyps - a clinical and molecular genetic study. Dan Med J. 2016 Aug;63(8) Authors: Jelsig AM Abstract Hamartomatous polyps (HPs) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are rare compared to other types of GI polyps, yet they are the most common type of polyp in children. The symptoms are usually rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, obstipation, anaemia, and/or small bowel obstruction. The polyps are typically removed concurrently with endoscopy when located in the colon, rectum, or stomach, whereas polyps in the small bowel are removed during push-enteroscopy, device-assisted enteroscopy, or by surgery. HPs can be classified as juvenile polyps or Peutz-Jeghers polyps based on their histopathological appearance. Patients with one or a few juvenile polyps are usually not offered clinical follow-up as the polyp(s) are considered not to harbour any malignant potential. Nevertheless, it is important to note that juvenile polyps and HPs are also found in patients with hereditary hamartomatous polyposis syndromes (HPS). Patients with HPS have an increased risk of cancer, recurrences of polyps, and extraintestinal complications. The syndromes are important to diagnose, as patients should be offered surveillance from childhood or early adolescence. The syndromes include juvenile polyposis syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and the PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome. Currently, the HPS diagnoses are based on clinical criteria and are often as...
Source: Danish Medical Journal - Category: Journals (General) Tags: Dan Med J Source Type: research