polyp (redirected from Peutz-Jeghers syndrome)

polyp, in medicine, a benign tumor occurring in areas lined with mucous membrane such as the nose, gastrointestinal tract (especially the colon), and the uterus. Some polyps are pedunculated tumors, i.e., they grow on stems; others, attached by a broad base, are called sessile. Nasal polyps are usually associated with an allergic condition; since they interfere with breathing, it is advisable that they be removed. Uterine and gastrointestinal polyps are likely to cause bleeding, but, more important, they may undergo malignant degeneration and for this reason are also usually removed.

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polyp

Growth projecting from the wall of a cavity lined with a mucous membrane. Shape varies widely; it may have a stalk or many lobes. Polyps most often occur in the nose, urinary bladder, and digestive tract, especially in the rectum and colon. Symptoms, if any, depend on location and size; they may result from pressure or from blockage of a passage. Polyps occasionally bleed. Because a small percentage are precursors to cancers or actually contain cancers, it is advisable to have them removed and examined microscopically and to undergo routine colonoscopy after age 50.

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polyp

In zoology, one of two principal cnidarian body forms and, sometimes, an individual in a bryozoan colony. The cnidarian polyp body is a hollow cylindrical structure. The lower end attaches to another body or surface. The upper, or free, end is directed upward and has a mouth surrounded by extensible tentacles that bear stinging structures called nematocysts. The tentacles capture prey, which is then drawn into the mouth. The polyp may be solitary (see sea anemone) or colonial (see coral). The body wall consists of three dermal layers. The other cnidarian body form is the medusa.

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polyp

1. Zoology one of the two forms of individual that occur in coelenterates. It usually has a hollow cylindrical body with a ring of tentacles around the mouth

2. Pathol a small vascularized growth arising from the surface of a mucous membrane, having a rounded base or a stalklike projection

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polyp [′päl·əp]

(invertebrate zoology)

A sessile cnidarian individual having a hollow, somewhat cylindrical body, attached at one end, with a mouth surrounded by tentacles at the free end; may be solitary (hydra) or colonial (coral).

(medicine)

A smooth, rounded or oval mass projecting from a membrane-covered surface.