Endoscopic Tattoo Helps Fight Colon Cancer

An indelible tattoo marks malignant lesions, post-polypectomy sites, and difficult-to-detect polyps to enable future identification at follow-up colonoscopy or surgery.

The Spot Ex (Camp Hill, PA, USA) Spot Ex endoscopic tattoo is designed to provide a permanent marker of malignant lesions (either proven or suspected), difficult-to-detect polyps or dysplastic areas, and polypectomy, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) sites. According to the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE; Lyon, France), all lesions except those located in the cecum, adjacent to the ileocecal valve, or in the lower rectum, should be tattooed, in order to enable a lifetime of patient care follow-up.


Spot Ex comes in a pre-filled box containing 10 pre-assembled syringes. To mark a suspect lesion or polyp, 0.5-0.75ml of Spot Ex should be injected sub-mucosally into four quadrants distal to the lesion of interest, using a 23- or 25-gauge injection needle inserted at an oblique angle so that the beveled tip of the inserted needle remains entirely beneath the mucosa, and does not penetrate the serosa and the peritoneum.

“We're excited to aid in the fight against colon cancer and advance the science of endoscopic tattooing with a permanent and cost-effective solution for gastroenterologists and surgeons,” said Luke Johnson, CEO of GI Supply. “Our mission at GI Supply is to help more GI physicians do more advanced endoscopic procedures safely and efficiently, and Spot Ex is a great next step in meeting those needs.”

“We have seen a steady increase in young patients being diagnosed with colon cancer. Fortunately, earlier diagnosis and new endoscopic therapies we offer are working,” said gastroenterologist Antonio Serna, MD, of San Antonio Gastroenterology Associates (TX, USA). “But these patients need to come back for many years of surveillance. Spot Ex gives me a way to feel confident in my assessment of cancer remission or recurrence.”

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