[Handling and reporting of endoscopic specimens of gastrointestinal neoplastic lesions]

Endoscopic mucosal resection is now widely used for the treatment of superficial neoplastic lesions of the digestive tract. The pathological examination of the specimens provided by endoscopic resections is essential for evaluation of the quality and safety of the resection, identification and description of the lesion, search for massive invasion and, if necessary, assessment of the depth of invasion. Such information is pivotal for determining whether the endoscopic resection is safe or if a complementary surgical treatment is needed. In this review, based on recently published international recommendations, we describe the technical procedures required for optimal handling and processing of the specimens and the information which must be found in the final report.