The importance of the macroscopic classification of colorectal neoplasms

The importance and prevalence of the superficial lesions in the colon and rectum caught worldwide public attention in 2008 when Soetikno and colleagues reported the prevalence of non-polypoid (flat and depressed) colorectal neoplasms in asymptomatic and symptomatic adults in North America and the public media disseminated their findings. The publication put to rest the question of whether or not the flat and depressed colorectal neoplasms exist in Western countries; flat and depressed colorectal neoplasms can be found throughout the world. In this article, the author highlights the importance of the macroscopic classification of the colorectal neoplasm and emphasizes the distinction between so-called flat lesions (IIa and IIb) and 0-IIc (superficial depressed) neoplastic colorectal lesions.