Updated guidelines on colonoscopy surveillance

Precancerous colorectal lesions may develop along an adenomatous or serrated pathway. These lesions are further classified as low or high risk based on their size, number, and histologic characteristics. Recent evidence has demonstrated that individuals with low-risk precancerous lesions that are resected during colonoscopy are not at significant risk of future colorectal cancer compared with the general population and do not require intense colonoscopy surveillance. Conversely, individuals with high-risk precancerous lesions that are removed appear to benefit from surveillance colonoscopy. This new information has led to updated colonoscopy surveillance guidelines in British Columbia and other jurisdictions.