Unveiling clinicopathologic features and outcomes for endoscopic submucosal dissection of early gastric cancer at gastric angulus in China

Abstract

BackgroundWith advances in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) technique, an increasing number of the Chinese population are being diagnosed with early gastric cancers (EGCs) at gastric angulus. However, the relationship between gastric angulus and EGCs remains obscure.ObjectivesWe aimed to unveil the unreported location characteristics of gastric angulus in Chinese EGC patients and the correlation between the degree of submucosal fibrosis and ESD outcomes.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of EGC patients treated with ESD from January 2010 to March 2023. We retrospectively investigated and analyzed 740 EGC patients using multiple analyses.ResultsFollowing gastric antrum (53.1%), the gastric angulus (21.8%) emerged as the second-most prevalent site for EGCs. It had highest incidence of severe submucosal fibrosis and ulceration than the other parts. Multivariate analysis showed independent associations of submucosal fibrosis at the angulus with ulceration (OR: 3.714, 95% CI: 1.041–13.249), procedure duration (OR: 1.037, 95% CI: 1.014–1.061), and perforation complication (OR: 14.611, 95% CI: 1.626-131.277) (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe gastric angulus demonstrates the highest incidence of severe submucosal fibrosis and ulceration for EGCs identified by ESD. This condition is linked to unfavorable outcomes, typically increased perforation risks and prolonged operation duration. Therefore, meticulous dissection is crucial for patients with EGCs in the gastric angulus.