BLI Based Adenoma Surveillance Strategy: BLAST Study

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. It develops through smaller growths in the bowel called polyps. Early recognition and removal of these polyps result in prevention of developing bowel cancer in an individual. However, not all polyps will lead to cancer, certain polyps are just growths of normal tissue and can be left in the bowel. We therefore need to know which polyps to remove and which ones to leave. One way of doing this is to have a better look at these polyps. This can be done by new technologies. One of them is called Blue Light Imaging (BLI). This is a new light source at the end of the camera which is activated by the push of a button. It will help us in looking at these polyps more closely.

This helps us decide which polyps to remove and which ones are safe to leave as there is always a small risk in removing a polyp. It would also give us a better idea as to when to repeat the camera test if necessary (endoscopic surveillance). By reducing the number of polyps resected and sent to the pathology labs for diagnosis, the work load on the pathology department is also reduced and in the process, providing cost savings to the Trust, The study aims to see if using Blue Light during endoscopy helps us to identify and characterize small polyps better