Medical needs related to the endoscopic technology and colonoscopy for colorectal cancer diagnosis

Background. The high incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer require new technologies to improve its early diagnosis. This study aims at extracting the medical needs related to the endoscopic technology and the colonoscopy procedure currently used for colorectal cancer diagnosis, essential for designing these demanded technologies. Methods. Semi-structured interviews and an online survey were used. Results. Six endoscopists were interviewed and 103 were surveyed, obtaining the demanded needs that can be divided into: a) clinical needs, for better polyp detection and classification (especially flat polyps), location, size, margins and penetration depth; b) computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system needs, for additional visual information supporting polyp characterization and diagnosis; and c) operational/physical needs, related to limitations of image quality, colon lighting, flexibility of the endoscope tip, and even poor bowel preparation.