OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical efficacy of endoscopic therapy for early colorectal cancer.

METHODSClinical data of 113 early colorectal mucosal carcinoma or submucosal carcinoma receiving endoscopic therapy were retrospectively analyzed and compared with 39 early colorectal cancer cases receiving surgery during the same time.

RESULTSAll the cases were well-moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Size of tumors in endoscopic group was (26.2±21.5) mm, and that was (30.9±24.3) mm in surgery group (P=0.257). Baseline data between the two groups were not significantly different (all P>0.05). Significantly shorter median operating time [15.0 minutes vs. 203.0 minutes, χ=69.322, P=0.000] and median hospital stay [3.0 days vs. 17.0 days, χ=76.180, P=0.000] were observed in endoscopic group compared with surgery group. The en bloc resection rate, curative resection rate, lymph node metastatic rate and complication rate were not significantly different between two groups (all P>0.05). Ten patients in endoscopic group were referred to additional surgery for deep invasion and/or incomplete resection, of whom 7 received radical surgery, and the other 3 cases without radical surgery did not develop recurrence during follow-up of (20.5±0.9) months. After follow-up for (17.5±15.8) months, the local recurrence rate was 5.3% (6/113) in endoscopic group and 0 (0/39) in surgery group without significant difference (χ=0.983, P=0.321). There was no significant difference in 5-year tumor-free survival rate between two groups (91.8% vs. 97.0%, χ=1.533, P=0.216).

CONCLUSIONEndoscopic therapy possesses shorter operating time, shorter hospital stay and similar efficacy as compared to surgery in the treatment of early colorectal cancer.