Large bowel endoscopy and management of colorectal cancer and its premalignant forms--endoscopy survey

To estimate the relationships between patients' clinical variables like age and sex with the endoscopical and histological findings of colorectal lesions and to assess the efficacy of endoscopy in diagnosing and treating polyps and early forms of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Analyzed were patients included in our database who were subjected to lower gastrointestinal tract endoscopy at our department for the last 15 years.

5107 patients were examined. In almost 1/5 (955) of them, the examination was for surveillance purposes. Women/men: 55%/45%. The number of patients with polyps was 1180. Polyps were diagnosed most frequently in patients aged 51-60 years and were located mostly in the sigmoid colon (43%). Patients with CRC were 613 and were diagnosed predominantly in the age group of 60-70 years (32%), most frequently in the rectum (38%), followed by the sigmoid colon (32%). 128 patients were diagnosed with early CRC. In 52 (40.62%) of them successful endoscopic therapy was carried out. No serious complications were observed except one case of late perforation after polypectomy, with a successful outcome.

Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy is a highly efficient method for screening, diagnosis and therapy of colorectal polyps and early forms of CRC. It is still underused for screening purposes in patients after the age of 50 years.