Histopathological Spectrum and Yield of Advanced Neoplasia in Opportunistic Colonoscopy Without Organised Screening: A Single-Centre Cross-Sectional Study from Western Romania

Background/Objectives: Organised colorectal cancer screening is still being introduced in Romania, and the yield of opportunistic colonoscopy outside it is poorly documented. Our primary aim was to describe the histopathological spectrum and the yield of advanced neoplasia in an opportunistic colonoscopy service; a secondary, exploratory aim was to describe self-reported lifestyle items in a questionnaire subgroup.

Methods

This study represents a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of consecutive colonoscopies (June 2023–June 2024) at a county hospital outside organised screening, restricted to patients from whom material reached histopathology; the comparison group therefore comprises patients whose sampled lesions were benign, not patients without neoplasia. Advanced neoplasia was defined histologically as adenocarcinoma or adenoma with high-grade dysplasia, without the 10 mm size criterion. A convenience subgroup self-completed a locally developed, unvalidated questionnaire before the procedure; its items were tested against advanced neoplasia and adenocarcinoma with false discovery rate correction.