Review
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World J Gastrointest Endosc. Oct 16, 2013; 5(10): 487-494
Published online Oct 16, 2013. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v5.i10.487
Which endoscopic treatment is the best for small rectal carcinoid tumors?
Hyun Ho Choi, Jin Su Kim, Dae Young Cheung, Young-Seok Cho
Hyun Ho Choi, Young-Seok Cho, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Uijeongbu 480-717, South Korea
Jin Su Kim, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 137-701, South Korea
Dae Young Cheung, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeoido St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 150-713, South Korea
Author contributions: Choi HH, Kim JS and Cheung DY collected the materials and wrote the manuscript; Cho YS wrote the manuscript and supervised the work.
Supported by Grant funded by the Catholic Cancer Center made in the program of 2010; and the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korea government, No. 2010-0023295
Correspondence to: Young-Seok Cho, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, 271 Cheonbo-ro, Uijeongbu 480-717, South Korea. yscho@catholic.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-31-8203658 Fax: +82-31-8472719
Received: June 28, 2013
Revised: August 7, 2013
Accepted: August 28, 2013
Published online: October 16, 2013
Processing time: 109 Days and 3.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Rectal carcinoids less than 10 mm in diameter can be resected by various endoscopic techniques, such as conventional polypectomy, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), cap-assisted EMR (EMR-C), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), or transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). There are currently limited comparative data to recommend a specific endoscopic treatment. Therefore, the choice of treatment modalities for small rectal carcinoids depends on the degree of endoscopic or surgical expertise at a given facility. Furthermore, any one of the above treatment methods could have a favorable clinical outcome if performed by gastroenterologists or surgeons with special techniques. EMR-C and TEM can be used as a salvage treatment after incomplete resection by endoscopic polypectomy. The efficacy of endoscopic submucosal resection with ligating device and ESD for salvage treatment requires further investigation.