Colorectal Cancer Awareness Issue

The month of March is internationally recognized as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and this March issue of Endoscopy is dedicated to important news from colorectal cancer research. With their concern for prevention, early detection, and better treatment, endoscopists have long been at the forefront in promoting awareness of colorectal cancer. As demonstrated in this issue of the Journal, endoscopy research is still a very important driving force in the fight against colorectal malignancy, one of the leading cancer killers.

This initiative was launched in February 2000, when US President Clinton declared March to be National Colon Cancer Awareness Month in the United States. The European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (ECCAM) has been marked since 2008. Thus, every March thousands of events are held in many countries, including patients, caregivers, and advocates who come together to heighten awareness about colorectal cancer.

This issue of Endoscopy features important research articles on serrated polyps and adenoma detection rates, crucial factors in the prevention of colorectal cancer. US researchers present interesting data on novel colonoscopy technology, and a randomized trial highlights the new method of water-aided colonoscopy. The superiority of carbon dioxide insufflation in colonoscopy is demonstrated in an interesting and pragmatic paper from China. A study from Germany shows that capnography with a simple and inexpensive device reduces the incidence of hypoxemia during colonoscopy. And finally, we present an exciting new colonoscopy reporting system from the Netherlands; this system takes to a new level the day-to-day quality assurance that is such an important factor for the success of colorectal cancer screening and surveillance programs.

We hope that you enjoy this issue of Endoscopy, and that the research presented this month will contribute to success in the fight against colorectal cancer.

The Editors