Current status of endoscopic full-thickness resection for treatment of colorectal neoplastic lesions

Endoscopic full-thickness resection (FTR) is a novel technique for endoscopic treatment of colorectal neoplastic lesions that are not suitable for standard endoscopic resection. Published evidence on FTR suggests high technical success rate, high proportion of R0 resections and low risk of serious complications. According to limited data, FTR appears to be a recommendable alternative to the technically challenging and time consuming endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of carcinomas with superficial submucosal invasion and local residual neoplasia, specifically outside the rectum. The main limitations of FTR are the limited extent of resection and occasional residual neoplasia after resection. Further research including prospective and randomized comparison to other resection techniques is needed for a correct inclusion of FTR in the treatment algorithm of colorectal neoplasia.