[Surgical endoscopy for staging and the selection of procedure]

The outcome in the treatment of malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract can be improved in two ways: by early recognition, and possibly also by multimodal treatment concepts. Endoscopic methods are can serve two purposes: firstly, the diagnosis and recognition of early and flat lesions; here high resolution video-endoscopy, in some cases supplemented by magnification and chromo-endoscopy and other extended methods (e.g. autofluorescence), are likely to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Another purpose endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound is to select patients suitable for local therapy of early cancers. In advanced tumors, endoscopy and especially endosonography are the standard methods for predicting the locoregional tumor stage, in order to select patients who may benefit from neoadjuvant treatment to select patients for curative treatment or palliation. The role of endoscopy and endosonography for the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal, gastric and rectal carcinoma is discussed in the following review.