Prognosis after treatment of villous adenomas of the colon and rectum.

With the existing evidence of neoplastic polyps of the colon and rectum as precursors of most or all colonic cancer, information of the short- and long-term course after treatment is a prerequisite of using the knowledge of the polyp-cancer sequence in an effective cancer prophylaxis. One hundred seventy-four patients treated for villous adenomas of the colon and rectum during the years 1960-1975 were re-examined. Survival and cure rates were estimated by actuarial analysis. The death rate of colonic cancer among patients treated for a benign villous adenoma was significantly higher than in an age and sex matched normal population, resulting in a significantly reduced crude survival rate among these patients. Almost all recurrences after treatment of benign villous adenomas occurred within the first four to five years recurrence rate of roughly 30%, indicating that five years seem to be an adequate total control period following treatment.