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Hyperplastic Polyps: Are They Completely Innocent?

  • Published:
Current Colorectal Cancer Reports

Abstract

Until recently, all serrated polyps were classified simply as hyperplastic polyps and were thought to represent benign lesions with no progression to malignancy. However, the recognition during the last decade that some serrated polyps may progress to colorectal cancer through the “serrated neoplastic pathway” has changed the understanding of the significance of these lesions. Classification of serrated polyps is evolving and underscores the fact that morphological changes in serrated lesions are linked to a preneoplastic behavior. This fact has been observed not only in the hyperplastic polyposis syndrome, characterized by multiple or large serrated polyps, but also in the sporadic setting. These findings are particularly important for colorectal cancer prevention, and adequate surveillance programs tailored for patients with serrated polyps are urgently needed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2007-64873 and SAF2010-19273), Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (Fundación Científica y Junta de Barcelona), and Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2009 SGR 849).

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Correspondence to Francesc Balaguer.

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Balaguer, F., Castells, A. Hyperplastic Polyps: Are They Completely Innocent?. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 7, 42–49 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-010-0080-z

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