Abstract
Thirty-seven early colorectal cancers were compared endoscopically with 35 benign adenomas in order to make a diagnosis of malignancy before polypectomy. Sessile early cancers with submucosal involvement had some characteristic findings indicating malignancy, which are a loss of symmetry, depression or flat surface, sandy or rugged surface and solid impression on endoscopy. These endoscopic findings indicating invasive cancer were seen overlapped in each case of early colorectal cancer with submucosal involvement. These characteristic findings of early colorectal cancer with submucosal involvement were observed more distinctly in sessile lesions than in pedunculated lesions. In our histological study, areas of cancer on the surface of the lesion was proved to be more extensive in the sessile lesions than those in the pedunculated lesions. In sessile lesions of early colorectal cancer with submucosal involvement, it seems to be possible endoscopically to make a diagnosis of malignancy and submucosal invasion before polypectomy.
