The length of time that it takes for a polyp to turn into cancer is between 10 to 15 years.
As the polyp grows and gets bigger then it turns into colon cancer which can be deadly if not cured soon enough.
If you go into the doctor to get a colonoscopy then the colon cancer can be cured if detected soon enough.
During a colonoscopy they may sometimes find 1 or 2 polyps that are small and then they can remove them before they are allowed to turn into cancer.
So make sure you get a colonoscopy at least by age 50 years old and then every 10 years after that.
On average it takes between 2 years to 10 years for colon cancer to mestastasize and spread to other parts of the body.
Colon cancer develops once there are polyps in the colon and then when those polyps grow larger they turn into colon cancer.
If the polyps are removed soon enough before they grow into cancer then the colon cancer can be cured.
During a colonoscopy if small polyps are found they can be easily removed so that they are not allowed to spread any further.
As long as the colon cancer is in the early stages then yes the colon cancer can go undetected for years.
In the early stages of colon cancer the colon cancer usually grows more slowly so it could be starting out and the colon cancer can slowly grow and progress over a period of between 5 years to 10 years.
Then when the colon cancer progresses too far it has a less chance of being curable.
So it's important to get tested for colon cancer as early as possible.
If you have the colon cancer found early enough it can almost always be cured.
However once the colon cancer advances to stage 4 then it becomes harder to cure.
When people have colonoscopies they usually only find around 2 to 5 polyps in the colon.
The average number of polyps that are removed during a colonoscopy in most people is between 1 and 2 polyps that are not cancerous.
However when the polyps are removed it prevents the colon cancer from occurring.
If you do have polyps removed during a colonoscopy then you might need to go in for a colonoscopy every 5 to 6 years instead of every 10 years.
However if no polyps are found during the colonoscopy then you usually only need to have a new colonoscopy every 10 years.
When you turn 50 years old you should have your first colonoscopy and then have a new colonoscopy every 10 years and then by the time you reach 75 years old you can usually cease and stop having colonoscopies but you can continue having colonoscopies if you want to as long as you live.