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What Percentage of Stomach Polyps Are Cancerous?

Stomach polyps is a general term used to describe a number of noncancerous growths that can develop on the inner lining of the stomach. Different types of stomach polyps turn cancerous at different rates.

  1. Hyperplastic Polyps

    • More than 50 percent of all stomach polyps belong to a group called hyperplastic polyps, according to the Mayo Clinic. Roughly 2 percent of hyperplastic polyps eventually turn cancerous.

    Adenomas

    • Roughly 10 percent of stomach polyps belong to a group called adenomas, which arise in the stomach’s protective glandular tissue, the Mayo Clinic reports. Adenomas are most likely to turn cancerous and cause over 90 percent of stomach cancer cases.

    Adenoma Factors

    • Adenomas most frequently turn cancerous in individuals with polyps larger than two centimeters in diameter and in individuals with multiple polyps, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library reports.

    Fundic Gland Polyps

    • Another type of stomach polyp, called fundic gland polyps, typically only turns cancerous in individuals with an inherited disorder called familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP, according to the Mayo Clinic. Roughly one in 7,000 to 22,000 people have the genetic mutation responsible for FAP.

    Considerations

    • Doctors cannot readily detect cancerous changes in stomach polyps and remove all polyps they discover as a precautionary measure, according to the Merck Manuals online library.

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