Advances in endoscopic diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a leading global health concern,and early identification and precise prognosis play a vital role in enhancing patient results.Endoscopy is a minimally invasive imaging technique that is crucial for the screening,diagnosis,and treatment of CRC.This editorial discusses the importance of advances in endoscopic techniques,the integration of artificial intelligence,and the potential of novel technologies in enhancing the diagnosis and management of CRC.

Endoscopic diagnosis of cervical esophageal heterotopic gastric mucosa with conventional and narrow-band images

AIM: To compare the diagnostic yield of heterotopic gastric mucosa (HGM) in the cervical esophagus with conventional imaging (CI) and narrow-band imaging (NBI).

Colorectal cancer in geriatric patients: Endoscopic diagnosis and surgical treatment

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of colorectal cancer in geriatrie patients undergoing endoscopy and to analyze their outcome. METHODS: All consecutive patients older than 80 years who underwent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy between January 1995 and December 2002 at our institution were included. patients with endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal cancer were evaluated with respect to indication, localization and stage of cancer, therapeutic consequences, and survival. RESULTS: Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 88 patients (6% of all endoscopies, 55 women and 33 men, mean age 85.2 years). Frequent indications were lower gastrointestinal bleeding (25%), anemia (24%) or sonographic suspicion of tumor (10%). Localization of cancer was predominantly the sigmoid colon (27%), the rectum (26%), and the ascending colon (20%). Stage Dukes A was rare (1%), but Dukes D was diagnosed in 22% of cases. Curative surgery was performed in 54 patients (61.4%), in the remaining 34 patients (38.6%) surgical treatment was not feasible due to malnutrition and asthenia or cardiopulmonary comorbidity (15 patients), distant metastases (11 patients) or refusal of operation (8 patients). patients undergoing surgery had a very low in-hospital mortality rate (2%). Operated patients had a one-year and three-year survival rate of 88% and 49%, and the survival rates for non-operated patients amounted to 46% and 13% respectively. CONCLUSION: Nearly two-thirds of 88 geriatrie patiente with endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal cancer underwent successful surgery at a very low perioperative mortality rate, resulting in significantly higher survival rates. Hence, the clinical relevance of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy and oncologic surgery in geriatrie patients is demonstrated.

Goblet cell carcinoid of the appendix:Six case reports

BACKGROUND Goblet cell carcinoid(GCC)of the appendix is a rare tumor characterized by neuroendocrine and adenocarcinoma features.Accurate preoperative diagnosis is very difficult,with most patients complaining mainly of abdominal pain.Computed tomography shows swelling of the appendix,so diagnosis is usually made incidentally after appendectomy based on a preoperative diagnosis of appendicitis.Even if a patient undergoes preoperative colonoscopy,accurate endoscopic diagnosis is very difficult because GCC shows a submucosal growth pattern with invasion of the appendiceal wall.CASE SUMMARY Between 2017 and 2022,6 patients with GCC were treated in our hospital.The presenting complaint for 5 of these 6 patients was abdominal pain.All 5 patients underwent appendectomy,including 4 for a preoperative diagnosis of appendicitis and the other for diagnosis and treatment of an appendiceal tumor.The sixth patient presented with vomiting and underwent ileocecal resection for GCC diagnosed from preoperative biopsy.Although 2 patients with GCC underwent colonoscopy,no neoplastic changes were identified.Two of the six patients showed lymph node metastasis on pathological examination.As of the last followup(median:15 mo),all cases remained alive without recurrence.CONCLUSION As preoperative diagnosis of GCC is difficult,this possibility must be considered during surgical treatments for presumptive appendicitis.

Clinical usefulness of linked color imaging in identifying Helicobacter pylori infection:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Accurate diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection status is a crucial premise for eradication therapy,as well as evaluation of risk for gastric cancer.Recent progress on imaging enhancement endoscopy(IEE)made it possible to not only detect precancerous lesions and early gastrointestinal cancers but also to predict H.pylori infection in real time.As a novel IEE modality,linked color imaging(LCI)has exhibited its value on diagnosis of lesions of gastric mucosa through emphasizing minor differences of color tone.AIM To compare the efficacy of LCI for H.pylori active infection vs conventional white light imaging(WLI).METHODS PubMed,Embase,Embase and Cochrane Library were searched up to the end of April 11,2022.The random-effects model was adopted to calculate the diagnostic efficacy of LCI and WLI.The calculation of sensitivity,specificity,and likelihood ratios were performed;symmetric receiver operator characteristic(SROC)curves and the areas under the SROC curves were computed.Quality of the included studies was chosen to assess using the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies-2 tool.RESULTS Seven original studies were included in this study.The pooled sensitivity,specificity,positive likelihood rate,and negative likelihood rate of LCI for the diagnosis of H.pylori infection of gastric mucosa were 0.85[95%confidence interval(CI):0.76-0.92],0.82(95%CI:0.78-0.85),4.71(95%CI:3.7-5.9),and 0.18(95%CI:0.10-0.31)respectively,with diagnostic odds ratio=26(95%CI:13-52),SROC=0.87(95%CI:0.84-0.90),which showed superiority of diagnostic efficacy compared to WLI.CONCLUSION Our results showed LCI can improve efficacy of diagnosis on H.pylori infection,which represents a useful endoscopic evaluation modality for clinical practice.

Simplified criteria for diagnosing superficial esophageal squamous neoplasms using Narrow Band Imaging magnifying endoscopy

AIM To simplify the diagnostic criteria for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(SESCC) on Narrow Band Imaging combined with magnifying endoscopy(NBI-ME).METHODS This study was based on the post-hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. We performed NBI-ME for 147 patients with present or a history of squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck, or esophagus between January 2009 and June 2011. Two expert endoscopistsdetected 89 lesions that were suspicious for SESCC lesions, which had been prospectively evaluated for the following 6 NBI-ME findings in real time: "intervascular background coloration"; "proliferation of intrapapillary capillary loops(IPCL)"; and "dilation", "tortuosity", "change in caliber", and "various shapes(VS)" of IPCLs(i.e., Inoue's tetrad criteria). The histologic examination of specimens was defined as the gold standard for diagnosis. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to identify candidates for the simplified criteria from among the 6 NBI-ME findings for diagnosing SESCCs. We evaluated diagnostic performance of the simplified criteria compared with that of Inoue's criteria.RESULTS Fifty-four lesions(65%) were histologically diagnosed as SESCCs and the others as low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or inflammation. In the univariate analysis, proliferation, tortuosity, change in caliber, and VS were significantly associated with SESCC(P < 0.01). The combination of VS and proliferation was statistically extracted from the 6 NBI-ME findings by using the stepwise logistic regression model. We defined the combination of VS and proliferation as simplified dyad criteria for SESCC. The areas under the curve of the simplified dyad criteria and Inoue's tetrad criteria were 0.70 and 0.73, respectively. No significant difference was shown between them. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of diagnosis for SESCC were 77.8%, 57.1%, 69.7% and 51.9%, 80.0%, 62.9% for the simplified dyad criteria and Inoue's tetrad criteria, respectively.CONCLUSION The combination of proliferation and VS may serve as simplified criteria for the diagnosis of SESCC using NBIME.

Diagnostic utility of narrow-band imaging endoscopy for pharyngeal superfi cial carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the endoscopic features of pharyngeal superfi cial carcinoma and evaluate the utility of narrow-band imaging (NBI) for this disease. METHODS: In the present prospective study, 335 patients underwent conventional white light (CWL) en-doscopy and non-magnifi ed/magnifi ed NBI endoscopy, followed by an endoscopic biopsy, for 445 superfi cial lesions in the oropharynx and hypopharynx. The macroscopic appearance of superfi cial lesions was categorized as either elevated (< 5 mm in height), flat, or depressed (not ulcerous). Superficial carcinoma (SC) was defi ned as a superfi cial lesion showing high-grade dysplasia or squamous cell carcinoma on histology. The color, delineation, and macroscopic appearances of the lesions were evaluated by CWL endoscopy. The ratio of the brownish area/intervascular brownish epithelium (IBE), as well as microvascular proliferation, dilation, and irregularities, was determined by non-magnifi ed/ magnifi ed NBI endoscopy. An experienced pathologist who was unaware of the endoscopic fi ndings made the histological diagnoses. By comparing endoscopic fi ndings with histology, we determined the endoscopic features of SC and evaluated the diagnostic utility of NBI. RESULTS: The 445 lesions were divided histologically into two groups: a non-SC group, including non-neoplasia and low-grade dysplasia cases, and an SC group. Of the 445 lesions examined, 333 were classified as non-SC and 112 were classif ied as SC. There were no significant differences in age, gender, or the location of the lesions between the patients in the two groups. The mean diameter of the SC lesions was signif icantly greater than that of non-SC lesions (11.0 ± 7.6 mm vs 4.6 ± 3.6 mm, respectively, P < 0.001). Comparisons of CWL endoscopy fi ndings for SC and non-SC lesions by univariate analysis revealed that the incidence of redness (72% vs 41%, respectively, P < 0.001) and a flat or depressed type of lesion (58% vs 44%, respectively, P = 0.013) was significantly higher in the SC group. Using non-magnifi ed NBI endoscopy, the incidence of a brownish area was signifi cantly higher for SC lesions (79% vs 57%, respectively, P < 0.001). On magnifi ed NBI endoscopy, the incidence of IBE (68% vs 33%, P < 0.001) and microvascular proliferation (82% vs 51%, P < 0.001), dilation (90% vs 76%, P =0.002), and irregularity (82% vs 31%, P < 0.001) was also signifi cantly higher for the SC compared with the non-SC lesions. Multivariate analysis revealed that the incidence of redness (P = 0.022) on CWL endoscopy and IBE (P < 0.001) and microvascular irregularities (P < 0.001) on magnif ied NBI endoscopy was signif icantly higher in SC than non-SC lesions. Redness alone exhibited signifi cantly higher sensitivity and signifi cantly lower specifi city for the diagnosis of SC compared with redness plus IBE and microvascular irregularities (72% vs 52%, P = 0.002; and 59% vs 92%, P < 0.001, respectively). The accuracy of redness plus IBE and irregularities for the diagnosis of SC was signifi cantly greater than using redness alone (82% vs 62%, respectively, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Redness, IBE, and microvascular irregularities appear to be closely related to SC lesions. Magnifi ed NBI endoscopy may increase the diagnostic accuracy of CWL endoscopy for SC.

Evolving role of artificial intelligence in gastrointestinal endoscopy

Artificial intelligence(AI)is a combination of different technologies that enable machines to sense,comprehend,and learn with human-like levels of intelligence.AI technology will eventually enhance human capability,provide machines genuine autonomy,and reduce errors,and increase productivity and efficiency.AI seems promising,and the field is full of invention,novel applications;however,the limitation of machine learning suggests a cautious optimism as the right strategy.AI is also becoming incorporated into medicine to improve patient care by speeding up processes and achieving greater accuracy for optimal patient care.AI using deep learning technology has been used to identify,differentiate catalog images in several medical fields including gastrointestinal endoscopy.The gastrointestinal endoscopy field involves endoscopic diagnoses and prognostication of various digestive diseases using image analysis with the help of various gastrointestinal endoscopic device systems.AI-based endoscopic systems can reliably detect and provide crucial information on gastrointestinal pathology based on their training and validation.These systems can make gastroenterology practice easier,faster,more reliable,and reduce inter-observer variability in the coming years.However,the thought that these systems will replace human decision making replace gastrointestinal endoscopists does not seem plausible in the near future.In this review,we discuss AI and associated various technological terminologies,evolving role in gastrointestinal endoscopy,and future possibilities.

Artificial intelligence technique in detection of early esophageal cancer

Due to the rapid progression and poor prognosis of esophageal cancer(EC),the early detection and diagnosis of early EC are of great value for the prognosis improvement of patients.However,the endoscopic detection of early EC,especially Barrett's dysplasia or squamous epithelial dysplasia,is difficult.Therefore,the requirement for more efficient methods of detection and characterization of early EC has led to intensive research in the field of artificial intelligence(AI).Deep learning(DL)has brought about breakthroughs in processing images,videos,and other aspects,whereas convolutional neural networks(CNNs)have shone lights on detection of endoscopic images and videos.Many studies on CNNs in endoscopic analysis of early EC demonstrate excellent performance including sensitivity and specificity and progress gradually from in vitro image analysis for classification to real-time detection of early esophageal neoplasia.When AI technique comes to the pathological diagnosis,borderline lesions that are difficult to determine may become easier than before.In gene diagnosis,due to the lack of tissue specificity of gene diagnostic markers,they can only be used as supplementary measures at present.In predicting the risk of cancer,there is still a lack of prospective clinical research to confirm the accuracy of the risk stratification model.

Cystic pancreatic lesions,the endless dilemma

Cystic pancreatic lesions involve a wide variety of pathological entities that include neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions.The proper diagnosis,differentiation,and staging of these cystic lesions are considered a crucial issue in planning further management.There are great challenges for their diagnostic models.In our time,new emerging methods for this diagnosis have been discovered.Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology with chemical and molecular analysis of cyst fluid and EUS-guided fine needlebased confocal laser endomicroscopy,through the needle microforceps biopsy,and single-operator cho-langioscopy/pancreatoscopy are promising methods that have been used in the diagnosis of cystic pancreatic lesions.Hereby we discuss the diagnosis of cystic pancreatic lesions and the benefits of various diagnostic models.