Prevalence of esophageal malignant and premalignant lesions in a Michigan cohort, 2013-2017.

Abstract

e15541 Background: Esophageal cancer is diagnosed in roughly 4 per 100,000 US population. Older men are most frequently affected. Adenocarcinoma is most common and incidence is increasing. EGD with biopsy is important for diagnosis. Many patients present with metastases, limiting treatment options. EGD can identify Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor lesion for adenocarcinoma, but evaluation of biopsy specimens is difficult. This study describes findings from esophageal biopsies in a large community-based Michigan cohort. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years undergoing EGD with esophageal biopsies in Sparrow Health System were identified. Pathology reports were abstracted for sociodemographics, procedure information, and pathologic findings. Only patients with complete data were included for analysis. Statistical comparisons were assessed by chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact test in contingency tables for categorical variables, or t-tests for continuous variables as appropriate. Results: 4,471 patients were included. 3,279 (73.3%) had benign findings, 1,117 (25%) premalignant changes, 69 (1.54%) malignancy including adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated cancer or high-grade dysplasia, 1 (0.022%) squamous cell cancer, and 5 (0.11%) neuroendocrine tumors. The latter six were excluded from analyses.Most procedures were performed for inpatients (70.5% for benign, 72.5% malignant and 76.3% pre-malignant; p< 0.001 for all comparisons). Patients with malignancy were older than those with premalignancy [mean 69.8 (SD = 10.4) vs 62.6 (SD = 12.2) years; p< 0.001], who were older than those with benign findings [62.6 (SD = 12.2) vs 56.2 (SD = 14.7) years; p< 0.001]. Patients with premalignancy came from areas with higher average household incomes ($42,179 vs $41,247; p< 0.01). There were no other socioeconomic or sex differences between groups. Conclusions: In a community sample, esophageal malignancy was uncommon but premalignant changes common. Most procedures occurred during hospitalizations. Ensuring appropriate post-discharge follow up for premalignant changes could be challenging. Association between premalignant changes and higher average household income is intriguing and merits additional study.