Definition:Early carcinoma of the colon is typically flat, sessile lesion while advanced lesion are generally annular or polypoid tumor
What The Referring Physician Needs To Know- If there is definite evidence of polyp growth on serial examinations, malignancy should be suspected
- Presence of long thin stalk is generally a sign of benign polyp, short and thick is stalk associated with carcinoma
- Carcinomas are particularly difficult to detect in patients with extensive diverticular disease of sigmoid colon
- If tumor is contained within the wall of colon or rectum, CT cannot reliably assess depth of mural penetration
- Desmoplastic reaction frequently leads to overstaging by MRI
- CT frequently understages patients with microinvasion of pericolonic or perirectal fat or small tumor foci in normal-sized nodes
- Most polyps detected radiologically should be removed if they are more than 5 mm in diameter
