A higher rate of serrated polyp detection was associated with a reduced risk of postcolonoscopy colorectal cancer, based on data from nearly 20,000 patients and 142 endoscopists, according to a study published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Higher rates of adenoma detection reduce the risk of postcolonoscopy colorectal cancer (PCCRC), but the data on detection rates for clinically significant serrated polyps and traditional serrated adenomas are limited, wrote Joseph C. Anderson, MD, of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H., and colleagues.
"A unique challenge for endoscopists is that serrated polyps exhibit characteristics that can make them more difficult to detect than conventional adenomas. Thus, it is not surprising that several studies have demonstrated a wide variation in serrated polyp detection rates." Even so, improved detection and resection of these polyps would likely improve CRC prevention, they noted.
The researchers reviewed data from the New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry to explore the association between clinically significantly serrated polyp (CSSP) detection rates and subsequent PCCRC risk.
The study population included 19,532 patients with follow-up events at least 6 months after an index colonoscopy. Of these, 128 cases of CRC were diagnosed at least 6 months after an index exam. CSSP was defined as any sessile serrated polyp, traditional serrated adenoma, or any large hyperplastic polyp (> 1 cm) or proximal hyperplastic polyp > 5 mm.
