Serrated lesions, especially sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSA/P) are considered one of the most important precursors of colorectal cancers. However, it is still difficult to endoscopically ...differentiate SSA/P from hyperplastic polyps. In the present review, we mainly focus on the current status and future perspectives of endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal serrated lesions based on the results of a questionnaire survey and report from the Endoscopic Forum Japan (EFJ) 2015 held in Tokyo in August 2015. The proposed diagnostic strategy recommended for colorectal serrated lesions is as follows. (i) For detection, use of an updated image‐enhanced endoscopy system including autofluorescence imaging (AFI) and narrow‐band imaging (NBI) may be promising. (ii) For differential diagnosis (hyperplastic polyp or SSA/P) of diminutive, small and large serrated lesions, NBI with magnification and magnifying chromoendoscopy using both indigocarmine and crystal violet should be applied, respectively. (iii) For differential diagnosis of SSA/P (with or without cytological dysplasia), magnifying chromoendoscopy, endocytoscopy and updated AFI system modalities might be promising.
Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease characterized by the appearance of hundreds to thousands of colorectal adenomatous polyps; if left untreated, there is ...nearly a 100% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer. In the present case, adenomatous polyps were observed at 6 years of age. Unlike our previous assumption, adenomatous polyps were detected by colonoscopy at <10 years of age. Considering the clinical importance of early diagnosis, we report this case involving germline adenomatous polyposis coli mutation (c.1958G > C, GenBank: M74088.1) that caused an increase in the isoform without exon 15. Although this isoform has been reported previously, it remains controversial whether the variant is pathogenic or not because it was observed both in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and in normal controls. Nonetheless, due to quantitative distortion of splice variants in adenomatous polyposis coli transcripts and the early development of adenomatous polyps, we believe that this variant may be pathogenic.
In accordance with guidelines, most patients with T1 colorectal cancers (CRC) undergo surgical resection with lymph node dissection, despite the low incidence (∼10%) of metastasis to lymph nodes. To ...reduce unnecessary surgical resections, we used artificial intelligence to build a model to identify T1 colorectal tumors at risk for metastasis to lymph node and validated the model in a separate set of patients.
We collected data from 3134 patients with T1 CRC treated at 6 hospitals in Japan from April 1997 through September 2017 (training cohort). We developed a machine-learning artificial neural network (ANN) using data on patients’ age and sex, as well as tumor size, location, morphology, lymphatic and vascular invasion, and histologic grade. We then conducted the external validation on the ANN model using independent 939 patients at another hospital during the same period (validation cohort). We calculated areas under the receiver operator characteristics curves (AUCs) for the ability of the model and US guidelines to identify patients with lymph node metastases.
Lymph node metastases were found in 319 (10.2%) of 3134 patients in the training cohort and 79 (8.4%) of /939 patients in the validation cohort. In the validation cohort, the ANN model identified patients with lymph node metastases with an AUC of 0.83, whereas the guidelines identified patients with lymph node metastases with an AUC of 0.73 (P < .001). When the analysis was limited to patients with initial endoscopic resection (n = 517), the ANN model identified patients with lymph node metastases with an AUC of 0.84 and the guidelines identified these patients with an AUC of 0.77 (P = .005).
The ANN model outperformed guidelines in identifying patients with T1 CRCs who had lymph node metastases. This model might be used to determine which patients require additional surgery after endoscopic resection of T1 CRCs. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry no: UMIN000038609
Display omitted
This study compared tissue injury produced by 3 types of electrosurgical current (pure cut, coagulation, blend) and two different procedures (snare and “hot biopsy”).
Each type of electrosurgical ...current was passed through the colon of a live pig by means of a snare or “hot biopsy” forceps, and the depth of tissue injury was determined histologically. The high-frequency electrosurgical current was provided by a single electrosurgical generator. The peak power for each type of current was determined with an oscilloscope.
The depth of tissue injury caused by coagulation current was significantly greater compared with blended current (
p
=
0.0157). The depth of injury with coagulation current also was greater than with pure cut current, (
p
=
0.0461 in a single statistical test; significance removed by Bonferroni-Dunn correction). With the hot biopsy forceps, the depth of tissue injury was deeper compared with that produced with a snare, regardless of the diameter of the snare loop. Peak power at a setting of 30 W was 1154 W for coagulation, 90.2 W for pure cut, and 227.8 W for blend current.
When a high-frequency electrosurgical current device is used, use of a cutting current in the blend mode is recommended instead of coagulation current because this waveform is suitable for incision and provides effective hemostasis. Skillful technique is required for safe use of a hot biopsy forceps, because there is a significant potential for deeper tissue injury with this device.
It has been recently reported that deep invasive submucosal (T1b) colorectal cancer (CRC) without other pathological risk factors for lymph node metastasis has a low rate of lymph node metastasis, ...increasing the possibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the future. However, ESD for T1b CRC is technically difficult, and some lesions cannot be resected en bloc. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with vertical incomplete ESD in T1b CRC.
We retrospectively studied 140 pathological T1b CRC lesions that underwent initial ESD at our institution between January 2011 and October 2020, and categorized them into positive vertical margin (PVM) and negative vertical margin (NVM) groups. The risk factors for PVM were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses, and a subgroup analysis for T1b CRC with an obvious depressed surface was performed.
Multivariate analysis revealed obvious depression (hazard ratio HR: 7.4; 95% confidence interval CI: 2.47-22.5) and severe fibrosis (HR: 11.4; 95% CI: 3.95-33.0) as significant risk factors for PVM. Length of depressed surface ≥12 mm (HR: 6.19; 95% CI: 1.56 -24.6) was identified as an independent predictor of PVM for T1b CRC with an obvious depression.
Pathological T1b CRC cases with an obvious depression and severe fibrosis are at a high risk of vertical incomplete ESD.
To explain the accumulation of (18)F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose ((18)FDG) on positron emission tomography (PET) in the stomach and differences in its pattern, we focus on the accumulation pattern in ...association with endoscopic findings of the gastric mucosa and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection.
Of 599 cases undergoing (18)FDG-PET examinations, we retrospectively analyzed the pattern of (18)FDG accumulation in the stomach, findings of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and Hp infection. The pattern of (18)FDG accumulation was classified into three groups: localized accumulation only in the fornix (Group A, 32 patients), diffuse accumulation throughout the entire stomach (Group B, 49 patients), and no accumulation (Group C, 191 patients).
Regarding the relation between Hp infection and (18)FDG accumulation, Hp infection was positive in 56.3% of Group A, 73.5% of Group B, and 24.1% of Group C, with significant differences (p < 0.001). Regarding the relation between (18)FDG accumulation and gastric mucosal inflammation, when Groups A and B were compared with Group C, nearly half of the cases in the former groups had papular redness with a significantly higher frequency of redness and erosion. Three cases found to have malignant tumor were limited to the former groups. One MALT lymphoma case was also found in the same group. Accumulation of (18)FDG largely corresponded to mucosal inflammation including superficial gastritis and erosive gastritis, and therefore the main cause of non-specific (18)FDG accumulation was considered to be inflammatory mucosa (mainly redness). The accumulation pattern was not associated with atrophic changes of the gastric mucosa or with Hp infection, but with mucosal inflammatory changes, including redness and erosion localized to the fornix.
Accumulation of (18)FDG in the stomach suggests a high probability of the presence of inflammatory change in the gastric mucosa forming a background for the development of cancer or malignant lymphoma, and thus requires further endoscopic examinations.