• ABSTRACT
    • The purpose of most colonoscopies is to detect and treat colorectal neoplasia, preventing or providing early diagnosis of cancer. Basic to this mission is the recognition and diagnosis of neoplasms. Recent data suggest that detection of neoplasia during colonoscopy is suboptimal, resulting in a failure of screening colonoscopy as an efficient strategy for the prevention of cancer. In this article, the ramifications of these observations are examined and their relevance to the practice of colonoscopy considered.