Surveillance Intervals After Piecemeal Resection of Non-pedunculated Colorectal Lesions ≥20mm

Intensive endoscopic surveillance following piecemeal resection of non-pedunculated colorectal lesions (NPCL) ≥20 mm is the current standard of care, given the high recurrence rate of these lesions (15-30%). However, most recurrences are detected at 12 months, are small and unifocal, and can be easily resected endoscopically. Furthermore, thermal margin ablation has demonstrated a reduction in recurrence rates to 5-6%, highlighting the need to optimize current surveillance protocols, which are costly, invasive, and impose a significant clinical burden.

The multicenter SCARFACE clinical trial aims to evaluate whether a reduced surveillance protocol (at 12 and 48 months) is non-inferior to the standard protocol (at 6, 12, and 48 months) in terms of recurrence rates, using a predefined non-inferiority margin. This non-inferiority design aims to determine if the reduced protocol maintains acceptable efficacy while reducing clinical workload and minimizing risks and discomfort associated with intensive follow-up.

Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio into the two surveillance protocols, with an estimated sample size of 746 lesions. The primary objective is to compare the cumulative incidence of recurrence at 12 months. Secondary objectives include characterizing recurrences, assessing complications associated with endoscopic treatments and evaluating the incidence of advanced colorectal lesions. The findings of this study are expected to directly impact clinical guidelines and routine practice, optimizing resource utilization and improving patient quality of life.