Serrated pathway serves as predictor
The current study is an important addition to the knowledge of colorectal cancer risk, Atsushi Sakuraba, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, said in an interview.
“In addition to the conventional adenoma pathway, the serrated pathway has been recognized to account for a significant portion of colorectal cancer, but whether detection of serrated polyps [is] associated with reduction of CRC remains unknown,” he said.
Dr. Sakuraba said he was not surprised by the study findings. Given that the serrated pathway is now considered to account for approximately 10%-20% of all CRC cases, higher detection rates should result in lower risk of CRC, he noted.
The findings support the value of CSSDR in clinical practice, said Dr. Sakuraba. “The study has shown that a clinically significant serrated polyps detection rate of 3% was associated with lower postcolonoscopy CRC, so endoscopists should introduce this to their practice in addition to adenoma detection rates,” he said.
However, Dr. Sakuraba acknowledged the limitations of the current study and emphasized that it needs to be reproduced in other cohorts. Prospective studies might be helpful as well, he said.
The study received no outside funding. The researchers and Dr. Sakuraba had no financial conflicts to disclose.