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Updated: Oct 25, 2025
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Published on: April 9, 2016
Recurrence of Colorectal Neoplastic Polyps After Incomplete Resection
Heiko Pohl1, Joseph C Anderson2, Andres Aguilera-Fish3
1Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire (H.P.).
Background:
Incomplete resection of neoplastic polyps is considered an important reason for the development of colorectal cancer. However, there are no data on the natural history of polyps that were incompletely removed.
Objective:
To examine the risk for metachronous neoplasia during surveillance colonoscopy after documented incomplete polyp resection.
Design:
Observational cohort study of patients who participated in the CARE (Complete Adenoma REsection) study (2009 to 2012).
Setting:
2 academic medical centers.
Patients:
Patients who had resection of a 5- to 20-mm neoplastic polyp, had a documented complete or incomplete resection, and had a surveillance examination.
Measurements:
Segment metachronous neoplasia, defined as the proportion of colon segments with at least 1 neoplastic polyp at first surveillance examination, was measured. Segment metachronous neoplasia was compared between segments with a prior incomplete polyp resection (incomplete segments) and those with a prior complete resection (complete segments), accounting for clustering of segments within patients.
Results:
Of 233 participants in the original study, 166 (71%) had at least 1 surveillance examination. Median time to surveillance was shorter after incomplete versus complete resection (median, 17 vs. 45 months). The risk for any metachronous neoplasia was greater in segments with incomplete versus complete resection (52% vs. 23%; risk difference [RD], 28% [95% CI, 9% to 47%]; P = 0.004). Incomplete segments also had a greater number of neoplastic polyps (mean, 0.8 vs. 0.3; RD, 0.50 [CI, 0.1 to 0.9]; P = 0.008) and greater risk for advanced neoplasia (18% vs. 3%; RD, 15% [CI, 1% to 29%]; P = 0.034). Incomplete resection was the strongest independent factor associated with metachronous neoplasia (odds ratio, 3.0 [CI, 1.12 to 8.17]).
Limitation:
Potential patient selection bias due to incomplete follow-up.
Conclusion:
This natural history study found a statistically significantly greater risk for future neoplasia and advanced neoplasia in colon segments after incomplete resection compared with segments with complete resection.
Primary Funding Source:
None.
