Historical developments in familial polyposis coli.

The emergence of familial polyposis coli from the general group of conditions with multiple polyps of the large intestine into a well-defined separate entity started when histopathology became a science. The recognition of its two main features--inheritance as a Mendelian dominant characteristic and its high incidence of associated colorectal cancer--greatly helped in establishing a policy of treatment designed to prevent cancer. The removal of all or most of the large intestine before cancer had supervened has had considerable success in reducing the cancer incidence. However, the more recent awareness that the adenomas can frequently be found also in the upper gastrointestinal tract has introduced new problems, the solution of which is currently a matter of investigation.