NOT INFREQUENTLY, a carcinoma is associated with one or more "polyps" in the same segment of bowel that is visualized with the proctosigmoidoscope. Prompted by this observation, we undertook a study not only to evaluate the histologic character of the sentinel or satellite polyp (Fig 1) but also to ascertain whether there was a relationship between "polyp" and carcinoma that might shed some additional light on the controversial "adenoma-carcinoma" sequence.
The term "polyp" as used in this study refers to any protuberance, projection, excrescence, or mammillation above the mucosal surface of the rectum, rectosigmoid, or lower sigmoid that was visible to the naked eye.
Methods and Materials
Surgical specimen from segments of bowel resected during 1955 for adenocarcinoma (distal 25 cm) were selected. After specimens that were associated with ulcerative colitis or familial multiple polyposis were excluded, 180 were available for study. Review of these 180 surgical specimens revealed 49