Background: Recent advances in colonoscopy have resulted in an increasing number of endoscopic resections of colorectal neoplasms. However, endoscopic resection of submucosal invasive cancer remains a controversial issue.
Methods: The subjects for this study were the surgically treated patients with submucosal invasive colorectal cancer. These patients were classified into two groups: those with versus those without preoperative endoscopic resection. Clinicopathologic features and prognosis were compared and analyzed.
Results: Fifty patients underwent surgery for submucosally invasive colorectal cancer. Numbers of patients with and without preoperative endoscopic resection were 22 and 28, respectively. In 36.4% of the patients, endoscopic resections were incomplete. Two patients in whom the preoperative endoscopic resections had revealed a positive cancer margin, had nodal metastasis. One of these patients also developed hepatic metastasis. Endoscopic findings such as diameter and shape were not indicative of either lymphatic or vascular invasion. There were no morbidities or mortalities associated with endoscopic resection or surgery.
Conclusions: Preoperative endoscopic resection for colorectal submucosal cancer is feasible, provided the resection is complete. The indications for surgical treatment should be determined after pathologic examination.