Is Image-Enhanced Endoscopy Useful for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumor?

Since the introduction of endoscopic submucosal dissection method for the treatment of early gastric cancer, endoscopic treatment of early gastric cancer has increased exponentially. Accordingly, early diagnosis of cancerous or precancerous lesion has become one of the most important missions for endoscopists. The desire to improve diagnostic capability of white light endoscopy led to the development of new imaging techniques called "image enhanced endoscopy." The usefulness of these image enhanced endoscopy has not been proven yet, although there are several studies reporting diagnostic superiority of these new imaging methods over white light endoscopy. Among these new imaging modalities, narrow band image (NBI) with magnification endoscopy has been most widely used and studied. This manuscript will be focused on the NBI with magnification endoscopy.