Premalignant disorders of the colon and rectum

1. Big picture

Premalignant disorders of the colon and rectum are conditions that increase the risk of colorectal carcinoma before invasive cancer has developed. The most important group is colorectal polyps, especially adenomatous polyps and serrated lesions.

The examiner wants you to know:

1. Which lesions are premalignant
2. Which features make a polyp high-risk
3. Which hereditary syndromes cause colorectal cancer
4. How to screen and surveil
5. When endoscopic removal is enough and when surgery/genetic testing is needed

Core exam sentence:

**Most colorectal cancers arise from premalignant polyps through the adenoma–carcinoma sequence or serrat