Comparison between cap-assisted and ligation-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection for rectal neuroendocrine tumors.

Abstract

Background:Modified endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is considered a treatment option for rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) <10 mm in diameter. In this study, we evaluated the clinical outcomes of cap-assisted EMR (EMR-C) and EMR with a ligating device (EMR-L).Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 158 patients with 162 rectal NETs treated endoscopically at a single Korean tertiary hospital between March 2010 and November 2017. We evaluated the rates of endoscopic en bloc resection, histologic complete resection, and procedural complications according to the treatment method.Results:Among 162 rectal NETs, 42 were treated with EMR-C and 120 with EMR-L. The endoscopic en bloc resection rate was higher in the EMR-L group than in the EMR-C group (100% vs. 92.9%, P=0.003). A trend was observed towards a superior histologic complete resection rate in the EMR-L group, but it was not statistically significant (92.5% vs. 83.3%, P=0.087). There were no significant differences in procedural complications (P=0.870). In a multivariate analysis, a tumor located ≥10 cm from the anal verge was related to histologic incomplete resection (P=0.039).Conclusion:EMR-L may be the preferable treatment method, considering both endoscopic en bloc resection rate and histologic complete resection rate.