Correlations of morphology and molecular alterations in traditional serrated adenoma

Traditional serrated adenoma was first reported by Longacre and FenoglioPresier in 1990.Their initial study described main features of this lesion,but the consensus diagnostic criteria were not widely adopted until recently.Traditional serrated adenoma presents with grossly protuberant configuration and pineconelike appearance upon endoscopy.Histologically,it is characterized by ectopic crypt formation,slit-like serration,eosinophilic cytoplasm and pencillate nuclei.Although much is now known about the morphology and molecular changes,the mechanisms underlying the morphological alterations are still not fully understood.Furthermore,the origin of traditional serrated adenoma is not completely known.We review recent studies of the traditional serrated adenoma and provide an overview on current understanding of this rare entity.

Serrated polyps of the colon and rectum:Remove or not?

In recent years,the serrated neoplasia pathway where serrated polyps arise as a colorectal cancer has gained considerable attention as a new carcinogenic pathway.Colorectal serrated polyps are histopathologically classified into hyperplastic polyps(HPs),sessile serrated lesions,and traditional serrated adenomas;in the serrated neoplasia pathway,the latter two are considered to be premalignant.In western countries,all colorectal polyps,including serrated polyps,apart from diminutive rectosigmoid HPs are removed.However,in Asian countries,the treatment strategy for colorectal serrated polyps has remained unestablished.Therefore,in this review,we described the clinicopathological features of colorectal serrated polyps and proposed to remove HPs and sessile serrated lesions≥6 mm in size,and traditional serrated adenomas of any size.

Serrated lesions:A challenging enemy

The serrated pathway accounts for 30%-35%of colorectal cancer(CRC).Unlike hyperplastic polyps,both sessile serrated lesions(SSLs)and traditional serrated adenomas are premalignant lesions,yet SSLs are considered to be the principal serrated precursor of CRCs.Serrated lesions represent a challenge in detection,classification,and removal–contributing to post-colonoscopy cancer.Therefore,it is of the utmost importance to characterize these lesions properly to ensure complete removal.A retrospective cohort study developed a diagnostic scoring system for SSLs to facilitate their detection endoscopically and subsequent removal.From the study,it can be ascertained that both indistinct border and mucus cap are essential in both recognizing and diagnosing serrated lesions.The proximal colon poses technical challenges for some endoscopists,which is why high-quality colonoscopy plays such an important role.The indistinct border of some SSLs poses another challenge due to difficult complete resection.Overall,it is imperative that gastroenterologists use the key features of mucus cap,indistinct borders,and size of at least five millimeters along with a high-quality colonoscopy and a good bowel preparation to improve the SSL detection rate.

Detection Rate, Distribution, Clinical and Pathological Features of Colorectal Serrated Polyps

Background：Colorectal serrated polyp is considered as histologically heterogeneous lesions with malignant potential in western countries.However,few Asian studies have investigated the comprehensive clinical features of serrated polyps in symptomatic populations.The aim of the study was to evaluate the features of colorectal serrated polyps in a Chinese symptomatic population.Methods：Data from all consecutive symptomatic patients were documented from a large colonoscopy database and were analyzed.Chi-square test or Fisher＇s exact test and logistic regression analysis were used for the data processing.Results：A total of 9191 （31.7%） patients were detected with at least one colorectal polyp.The prevalence of serrated polyps was 0.53% （153/28,981）.The proportions of hyperplastic polyp （HP）,sessile serrated adenoma/polyp （SSA/P）,and traditional serrated adenoma （TSA） of all serrated polyps were 41.2%,7.2%,and 51.6%,respectively,which showed a lower proportion of HP and SSA/P and a higher proportion of TSA.Serrated polyps appeared more in males and elder patients while there was no significant difference in the subtype distribution in gender and age.The proportions of large and proximal serrated polyps were 13.7% （21/153） and 46.4% （71/153）,respectively.In total,98.9% （89/90） serrated adenomas were found with dysplasia.Moreover,14 patients with serrated polyps were found with synchronous advanced colorectal neoplasia,and large serrated polyps （LSPs） （odds ratio：3.446,95% confidence interval：1.010-11.750,P 〈 0.05）,especially large HPs,might have an association with synchronous advanced neoplasia （AN）.Conclusions：The overall detection rate ofcolorectal serrated polyps in Chinese symptomatic patient population was low,and distribution pattern of three subtypes is different from previous reports.Moreover,LSPs,especially large HPs,might be associated with an increased risk of synchronous AN.