Colorectal cancer screening in the UK: Joint Position Statement by the British Society of Gastroenterology, the Royal College of Physicians, and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland

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Abstract
It is thought that 70–90% of cases of colorectal cancer arise from premalignant (adenomatous) polyps.5 They often have a stalk which consists of healthy tissue and allows them to be removed simply and completely by endoscopic snaring. This polyp to cancer sequence adds a strong intellectual argument in support of screening for colon cancer as it provides an opportunity not only to achieve early diagnosis (for example of Dukes' stage A carcinomas) but actually to prevent cancer development by removal of premalignant polyps.