Practical aspects of endoscopic management of malignant polyps

World experience now overwhelmingly supports the policy of conservative management by endoscopic snare polypectomy of "focal" cancer in polyps (malignancy in adenomas and polypoid carcinomas), providing that the polyp is pedunculated and that endoscopic and histological criteria are favorable. Invasion to within 2-3 mm of the snare-resection line is acceptable, providing that the advancing tumour margin is well-circumscribed. Unfavourable characteristics include poorly differential tumour, involvement of stalk vessels, and sessile configuration. This management policy applied to 90 patients between 1971 and 1981 resulted in successful 5-year follow-up of the 74 patients treated by polypectomy alone. Among the 16 patients managed surgically, no local lymph nodes were involved in any case, although 4 patients were found to have residual local tumour at the polypectomy site.