Study: Smokers Have Greater Risk of Colorectal Polyps

Smokers are at significantly greater risk of developing colorectal polyps -- growths in the colon or rectum that may precede cancer -- and they should be screened at an earlier age, according to researchers at Stony Brook University in New York.

The researchers analyzed medical records of 1,566 patients who had a screening colonoscopy between December 1999 and April 2002, and found polyps in about 25 percent of smokers compared to 19 percent of ex-smokers and 17 percent of nonsmokers.

"It is well established that family history of colon cancer is predictive of colorectal polyps, but our statistical analysis indicates that being a current smoker is equally predictive," says Dr. Rajeev Attam.

"Perhaps an even more important finding is that a much larger proportion of the smokers had more than two polyps, had a polyp larger than one centimeter, or had a polyp with a greater potential for malignancy. These differences had high statistical significance," said Attam.

The study was presented at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Seattle.

Other Sources: American College of Gastroenterology