Colorectal Cancer News

Smoking Linked to Aggressive Colon Polyps: Study

There is a link between smoking and the development of precancerous polyps in the large intestine, which scientists say could explain early onset colorectal cancer in smokers.

These polyps, called flat adenomas, are aggressive and more difficult to detect in standard screenings than raised polyps. A study has shown that this lack of visibility of polyps in a smoker explains why colorectal cancer is typically more advanced in smokers at a younger age than nonsmokers.

"Smoking has been shown to be an important risk factor for colorectal neoplasia [tumor formation] in several screening studies," said study author Dr. Joseph C. Anderson.

The study found that heavy smoking in older males was linked to having advanced-stage flat adenomas.

References
Health Day. Smoking Linked to Aggressive Colon Polyps: Study. Bloomberg Businessweek. 2010 June 11.

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