Future of Endoscopy: Brief review of current and future endoscopic resection techniques for colorectal lesions

Abstract

Endoscopic treatment of colorectal lesions has seen major developments in the last decade. It is now considered curative for intramucosal and superficial submucosal cancers. Endoscopic Mucosal Resection in expert hands has very good outcomes with low complication rates but recurrence and inadequate treatment of early cancers remain an issue. This has led to a technical evolution that can lead to one piece resection of neoplasia. This includes a range of techniques from knife assisted snare resection (KAR), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to full thickness resections. This article reviews all the resection techniques and the evidence base behind them.

Keywords: endoscopic full thickness resection; endoscopic mucosal resection; endoscopic submucosal dissection; tissue retraction system; underwater EMR.