Depending on when you have been diagnosed with FAP will depend on when/how your screening will start.
If diagnosed as a child at a young age then regular colonoscopies are recommended from early teens (sometimes sooner) but this will be determined by your consultant/specialist. A ‘base-line’ colonoscopy will then indicate where you sit on the Spiegelman scale and therefore how regular your scopes will need to be carried out. Depending on the results you could expect to see anything between 1-3 yearly scopes.
 
If you are diagnosed later in life, like our Jinny, then your screening can look somewhat different, and depending on the amount of polyps found during your initial colonoscopy will determine your screening regime.

Colonoscopy 

During your colonoscopy the consultant will be able to check the entire length of your large intestine for polyps, measuring the size and taking biopsies (samples) of these polyps to be sent for testing. Don’t worry, you won’t feel the polyps being taken out (sedation is always available!) but you will likely feel bloated afterwards and depending on how many polyps taken could feel a little battered for a couple of days after the procedure. It is likely that as many of the polyps as possible will be removed, as this will help to keep the number of them under control and of course decrease the chances of any of these polyps turning nasty.
 
A record will be kept of the location of the polyps, along with their size, and more often than not images will also be taken. These records will then be used for comparison between scopes and will help your consultant/surgeon make an informed decision on if/when surgery will be required.

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Gastroscopy
As FAP also causes polyps of the stomach and duodenum, it is important that you also have these checked. Although the risk of these polyps turning cancerous is less than bowel cancer, the risk is there none-the-less and therefore you should also being having gastroscopies. It is often found that these are carried out less regularly than a colonoscopy (for example 3-5 yearly), but again this will be looked at on a case by case basis.
Again, biopsies will be taken during your gastroscopy and sent for testing along with images being taken of your stomach and duodenum.
 
It is important to remember that each and every individual is different and no two people will have the same screening/results so always keep in regular contact with your specialist. Your consultant will be able to advise as and when your scopes will be required, and should the time come they will make a recommendation to a surgeon if the polyp amounts become too much and surgery is then required.

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Additional Scans
Along with screening in the form of colonoscopies and gastroscopies, you will also find that CT or MRI scans will be needed in your journey. Either of these scans will be to check for the appearance of desmoid tumours, also known as desmoid-type fibromatosis or aggressive fibromatosis. This is a type of rate benign (non-cancerous) tumour which can occur anywhere in the body but are mostly found in the arms, legs and abdomen.
As these are benign, there is no cancerous risk, but it is important that if you do have any desmoid tumours that these are known about. This is because they could have an impact on any surgery that may be required in the future. Again, it is a discussion with your surgeon regarding the removal of any desmoid tumours.

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other fap risks