Special Issue Introduction
As early as half a century ago, the effect of inhibiting colorectal cancer death through cancer screening was proven, but cancer screening itself does not have such an effect. Because the final funnel process in various types of colorectal cancer screening processes eventually converges to colonoscopy, the effect of colorectal cancer prevention appears only through a series of invasive processes through tumor detection and resection. Recently, as new evidences have been accumulated, it has become evident that some patients develop colorectal cancer even though there is negative finding of colonoscopy in the past. To increase the efficiency of colonoscopy, it is essential to have a high-quality procedure in which a series of procedures are well performed before, during, and after the procedure. Therefore, colonoscopy should not be a simple fixed medical procedure, but a dynamic consilience science field that is constantly evolving. Various state-of-the-art advances have been made in this dynamic area, including advanced resection techniques to safely and effectively overcome the limitations of manual procedures performed through colonoscopy, development of new therapeutic aids, imaging techniques to better detect lesions and more characterize tumors, ways to recognize and manage procedural complications more quickly and effectively, advances in bowel preparation to increase mucosal visibility and patient compliance, new educational and training tools, and innovative platform improvements for not only practitioners-assistants but also institutions.
In the process of improving colonoscopy efficacy, there have been various controversies that cannot be avoided over the past decade. These include the fact that colonoscopy has a low right colorectal cancer detection rate, an endoscopist-dependent procedure, and a very wide variability of both in the detection and complete resection of precancerous lesions especially sessile serrated lesions. The ongoing colonoscopy quality initiative aims to identify the causes of these variabilities and correct and minimize them. Sufficient colonoscopy withdrawal time, mucosal inspection technique, diligence to find non-polypoid lesions that are easy to overlook, and basic techniques such as effective and complete polypectomy are inevitably important factors. This special issue aims to help readers share the latest knowledge and contribute to continuous progress in this field by organizing new and advanced changes in the field of colonoscopy and polypectomy, and presenting recent controversies and challenges.
To faithfully achieve this purpose, world-renowned authors have been gathered to serve as leaders at the forefront of the colonoscopy revolution. Definitely, it is a big pleasure and great privilege for me to co-work with these experts for colorectal cancer prevention worldwide effectively. I wish to thank the authors for their time and talent donation, and invaluable dedication coming from wide intellect and deep consideration. Finally, I’d like to thank Ms. Lillian Lee and her staff at Mini-Invasive Surgery team for overseeing the entire process of editing and publishing.
Participants
Dr. Hyun-Soo Kim, form Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, South Korea.
Dr. Takahisa Matsuda, form National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Yuichi Mori, form Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Dr. Han-Mo Chiu, form National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dr. Hyun Gun Kim, form Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Dr. Dong Hoon Yang, form University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Dr. Su Young Kim, form Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, South Korea.
Dr. Chang Mo Moon, form Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.
Dr. Rajvinder Singh, for Lyell McEwin Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
Dr. Masau Sekiguchi, form National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
The list is arranged in no particular order and to be updated.
Mini-invasive Surgery
