Recent Advances in Diagnostic Endoscopy for Colorectal Neoplasm

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death in the western world (Jemal et al., 2009). Most non-hereditary colorectal cancers arise from benign adenomas (Morison et al., 1974). It has been reported that removal of adenomatous polyps reduces the risk of subsequent colorectal cancer by as much as 80% (Winawer et al., 1993). Therefore, detection and removal of colorectal adenomas, as well as of cancer in the early stages, is utmost importance in improving the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. Although colonoscopy is one of the most reliable methods for diagnosis of colorectal neoplasms, conventional colonoscopy could be improved by addressing some of its shortcomings. In this article, the new and promising technologies that comprise image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) are reviewed, and a new colonoscopic strategy that incorporates some of these techniques is proposed.