← Issue №12/ week of Sep 20, 2026/Endoscopy

Patient-level predictors of safety and recurrence after cold versus hot snare resection of large, non-pedunculated colorectal polyps: an individual patient data meta-analysis of four randomised-controlled trials.

From GI Signals issue №12: what this paper found, what it changes, and where it sits against the current standard of care, reviewed by Simon Mathews, MD.

Endoscopy meta analysis · n=1,423 · Sep 15, 2026 · Gut · IF 24.6

Patient-level predictors of safety and recurrence after cold versus hot snare resection of large, non-pedunculated colorectal polyps: an individual patient data meta-analysis of four randomised-controlled trials.

New evidencepolypectomyEMRmeta-analysiscolorectal cancer screening
Clinical takeawayFor large non-pedunculated adenomas, prefer hot snare EMR over cold snare for lower recurrence, especially in high-grade dysplasia. Reserve cold snare for SSLs (2-4 cm) or high-risk patients (anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy, multimorbidity) where safety outweighs recurrence risk, noting that further studies are needed for these populations.
What it foundCold snare resection of large (≥20 mm) non-pedunculated colorectal polyps had fewer major adverse events (1.7% vs 5.9%, OR 0.26) but higher residual/recurrent adenoma rates (26.5% vs 12.8%, OR 2.61), especially in high-grade dysplasia (40.8% vs 18.0%, OR 2.88).
ContextConfirms cold snare is safer but with higher recurrence than hot EMR, refining prior evidence by quantifying the trade-off and identifying high-grade dysplasia as a key subgroup for recurrence risk.
Refinessuggested applicable standard· US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (Gupta S, et al.), "Recommendations for Follow-Up After Colonoscopy and Polypectomy: A Consensus Update by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer," Gastroenterology, 2020

Decision at stakechoosing cold versus hot snare resection for large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps

After polyp removal, assign the next colonoscopy surveillance interval using USMSTF 2020 based on polyp number, size, and histology (e.g., 1-2 tubular adenomas <10 mm 7-10 years; 3-4 tubular adenomas <10 mm 3-5 years; 5-10 tubular adenomas <10 mm, any adenoma ≥10 mm, or adenoma with tubulovillous/villous histology or high-grade dysplasia 3 years; >10 adenomas 1 year with polyposis evaluation; and for serrated polyps, 1-2 sessile serrated lesions <10 mm 5-10 years, 3-4 sessile serrated lesions <10 mm or a hyperplastic polyp ≥10 mm 3-5 years, and a sessile serrated lesion ≥10 mm or with dysplasia or a traditional serrated adenoma 3 years), and apply the shortest interval indicated when findings are mixed.

From our summary of this standard, unedited — the part the paper bears on. marks omitted text. Our wording, not the guideline's; read the source for its own text.

Our full summary of this standard

After polyp removal, assign the next colonoscopy surveillance interval using USMSTF 2020 based on polyp number, size, and histology (e.g., 1-2 tubular adenomas <10 mm 7-10 years; 3-4 tubular adenomas <10 mm 3-5 years; 5-10 tubular adenomas <10 mm, any adenoma ≥10 mm, or adenoma with tubulovillous/villous histology or high-grade dysplasia 3 years; >10 adenomas 1 year with polyposis evaluation; and for serrated polyps, 1-2 sessile serrated lesions <10 mm 5-10 years, 3-4 sessile serrated lesions <10 mm or a hyperplastic polyp ≥10 mm 3-5 years, and a sessile serrated lesion ≥10 mm or with dysplasia or a traditional serrated adenoma 3 years), and apply the shortest interval indicated when findings are mixed. Confirm complete resection and adequate prep before applying an interval, and use site-check/tumor-board pathways for piecemeal resection and malignant (T1) polyps. Refer for genetic evaluation when Lynch, FAP/AFAP/MAP, or serrated polyposis syndrome criteria are met.

US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (Gupta S, et al.), "Recommendations for Follow-Up After Colonoscopy and Polypectomy: A Consensus Update by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer," Gastroenterology, 2020 · reviewed 2026-07-23 ↗
Steinbrück I … International Cold snare study group · Gut · IF 24.6 · PubMed ↗Permalink
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