Caption

Premalignant colonic growth. Endoscopic view of a benign (non-cancerous) but premalignant tubular adenoma (lower centre to lower right) in the sigmoid colon. Premalignant conditions are ones which, if left untreated, may develop into cancer. Adenomas are growths that arise from glands. In the colon these are an important early warning of potential cancer development. The sigmoid colon is the final part of the large intestine (colon) and joins to the rectum. The colon is mainly responsible for extracting water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body.