[Endoscopic and surgical therapy of malignant colorectal polyps]

87 malignant colorectal polyps were removed in 81 patients by endoscopic polypectomy from 1972 until 1987. Thereafter 34 of these patients had a surgical resection of the colon. Surgical resection was performed for incomplete excision of the polyp (20 x), for tumor invasion of the lymphics in the polyp stalk and for moderately/poor differentiated carcinoma. In 6 patients a residual carcinoma was detected in the removed colon specimen, but lymph-node metastasis only in one with moderate-differentiated carcinoma. Our results demonstrate that colorectal polyps with invasive well-differentiated carcinoma and tumor free base do not need a surgical resection. Patients of the high-risk-group (moderately/poor-differentiated carcinoma, invasion of blood vessels and lymphatics, incomplete excision), should be referred to further surgical resection. With regard to the low rate of metastatic spread even in patients with high-risk-polyps accurate differentiation seems to be necessary. In 19 out of 52 (36.5%) patients endoscopic control examinations after surgical or endoscopic resection revealed recurrent pathological findings. On the base of the presented data we conclude that there is a need for short-term endoscopic controls over a period of five years.