Endoscopic innovations in diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer

Summary Colonoscopy is the gold standard in diagnosis of colorectal cancer that in most instances arises from precursor lesion, adenomatous polyp. However, white ligh forward viewing colonoscopy is not a pefect method, up to a quarter of adenomas are being missed during standard procedures. Therefore, new techniques and technologies are being developed in order to increase adenoma detection rate, either through better resolution and magnification of the image (highdefinition, high-magnification endoscopes) or by augmenting the overview of colonic mucosa (Full Spectrum Endoscopy colonoscope, Third-Eye Retroscope). Besides adenoma detection, new technologies allow better tissue characterisation and in vivo discrimination between nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions (conventional chromoendoscopy, virtual chromoendoscopy, confocal laser endomicroscopy, endocytoscopy). In additon to diagnostic procedures, therapeutic techniques are also evolving. Formerly, all of the flat or depressed colorectal lesions, en countered during colonoscopy, were reffered to surgery. Today, endoscopic mucosal resection is becoming a routine method for the treatment of early gastrointestinal mucosal lesions of less than 2 cm in diameter. For larger lesions, endoscopic submucosal dissection, a state-of-the-art technique, is indicated, but currently carried out only in tertiary centres. Endoscopic innovations are leading into new era of colorectal cancer diagnosis and management, hopefully resulting in decrease of incidence, morbidity and mortality.