Villous adenoma

Villous adenoma
Micrograph of a colorectal villous adenoma. H&E stain.
Classification and external resources

Villous adenoma is a type of polyp that grows in the colon and other places in the gastrointestinal tract and sometimes in other parts of the body. These adenomas may become malignant (cancerous). Villous adenomas have been demonstrated to contain malignant portions in about one third of affected persons, and invasive malignancy in another one third of removed specimens. Colonic resection may be required for large lesions. These can also lead to secretory diarrhea with large volume liquid stools with few formed elements. They are commonly described as secreting large amounts of mucus, resulting in hypokalaemia in patients. On endoscopy a "cauliflower' like mass is described due to villi stretching. Being an adenoma, the mass is covered in columnar epithelial tissue.

See also

• Colorectal cancer
• Sessile serrated adenoma
• Tubulovillous adenoma

External links

• Villous adenoma entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

 This article incorporates public domain material from the U.S. National Cancer Institute document "Dictionary of Cancer Terms".