Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR)

Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR) is a special procedure for removing malignant or abnormal tissues from within the digestive tract. It may also be used to obtain a tissue sample for biopsy and/or staging of gastrointestinal cancers. An EMR is performed by threading a narrow tube with a light and tiny camera at the end down through the esophagus, stomach and upper small intestine – or in cases where the suspicious lesion or lesions are in the colon, the approach may be via the rectum. Patients are moderately sedated during the procedure and usually do not feel any pain. Physicians who specialize in digestive system disorders are specially trained in the use of EMR to remove early-stage cancers as well as pre-cancerous growths from the lining of digestive tract.