Circumferential Endoscopic Resection Research Articles

Prevention of Esophageal Stricture After Whole Circumferential Endoscopic Resection: A Review for Endoscopists.

The incidence of esophageal stricture without stricture prophylaxis measures after whole circumferential endoscopic resection is almost 100%, which substantially decreases the patients' quality of life and requires multiple sessions of endoscopic balloon dilation. To date, there are many reports concerning the prevention of esophageal stricture after whole circumferential endoscopic resection. Oral steroid may be effective for preventing esophageal stricture after whole circumferential endoscopic resection. However, exposure to a high dose of steroid raises concerns with regard to adverse events. Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection and preventive endoscopic balloon dilation did not appear to reduce the frequency of stricture formation after whole circumferential endoscopic resection. Esophageal stent appeared to be a possible prophylactic treatment, but adverse events should be of great concern. Polyglycolic acid sheets seemed promising, because they can not only act as protective barriers but can also be drug carriers to prevent esophageal stricture. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine such as oral mucosal epithelial cell sheets cultured in vitro have been used in patients to prevent esophageal stricture, but it is technically and financially burdensome. Autologous tissue transplantation showed a promising preventive effect for esophageal stricture and it is relatively easy to carry out in clinical practice, and this technique needs further improvements to prevent esophageal stricture after whole circumferential endoscopic resection.

Prevention of esophageal stricture after circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection using a modified self-assembling peptide.

Circumferential endoscopic resection (ER) of the esophageal mucosa could find its place in the treatment of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus or extensive squamous cell neoplasia. However, the occurrence of esophageal strictures remains a major complication after ER exceeding 75% of the circumference. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a modified, pH = 2, self-assembling peptide matrix (4[Arg-Ala-Asp-Ala]) (SAP) on the development of esophageal stricture after circumferential ER in a swine model. We performed a circumferential ER in 35 swine under general anesthesia. Five animals were included in the control group, 11 animals received the SAP matrix immediately after the resection, and 11 received the SAP matrix associated to a local steroid immediately after the resection. Follow-up endoscopy and esophagogram were performed before slaughter and necropsy at day 14. Eight treated animals were kept alive until day 28. At day 14, 27% of the animals in the SAP group developed a symptomatic stricture versus 100% in the control group (P = 0.008) and 50% in the SAP-triamcinolone group (P = 0.11). Application of an SAP matrix after circumferential ER in the swine allowed a significant reduction of the incidence of symptomatic stricture at day 14. Adding triamcinolone brought no significant improvement.

Metachronous Cancer Occurring after Endoscopic Resection of Superficial Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer has a relatively high prevalence of local recurrence, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Superficial esophageal cancer has shown a metachronous recurrence rate of 2.6~35.8% with the cumulative overall 3-year and 5-year metachronous cancer incidence being 9.9~15.5% and 20.6~24.5%, respectively. In addition to recurrences in the remnant esophagus, second metachronous primary tumors have been reported to arise in 4.0~37.4% of esophageal cancer survivors. The second primary cancers arising after a diagnosis of esophageal cancer are most commonly detected in the head and neck area, followed by the lungs and stomach. The field cancerization theory explains the high prevalence of head and neck cancer among esophageal cancer patients. The reported risk factors for metachronous esophageal recurrences include scattered-type Lugol staining, circumferential endoscopic resection of the primary lesion, heavy alcohol use, smoking, inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes, alcohol dehydrogenase-1B genes, and young age at diagnosis of the primary cancer. The risk factors for metachronous second primary tumors include heavy alcohol use, smoking, and a previous history of radiation therapy. Consequently, periodic follow-up endoscopy using narrow-band imaging is essential for the screening of metachronous esophageal cancers and second primary tumors after endoscopic resection for superficial esophageal cancer.

When is pre-emptive treatment necessary after endoscopic mucosal resection of early esophageal neoplasm?

When is pre-emptive treatment necessary after endoscopic mucosal resection of early esophageal neoplasm?

Prevention of Subsequent Stricture; Circumferential Endoscopic Resection for Wide Spread Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Esophagus

Prevention of Subsequent Stricture; Circumferential Endoscopic Resection for Wide Spread Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Esophagus

Endoscopic mucosal resection for Barrett’s esophagus-related neoplasia

Evaluation of: Lopes CV, Hela M, Pesenti C et al. Circumferential endoscopic resection of Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma. Surg. Endosc. 21(5), 820–824 (2007).High-grade dysplasia may progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma in 16–32% of patients. Esophagectomy is the definitive therapy; however, the procedure has a mortality rate of 3–12% and 29–56% of patients develop at least one serious postoperative complication. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for high-grade dysplasia or early carcinoma has been proposed for selected patients. With conventional EMR, Barrett’s epithelium is left behind, invasive lesions may be missed due to sampling error and long-term outcomes remain unknown. A recent study reports a mean follow-up of 31.6 months in patients treated with circumferential EMR. Allowing multiple sessions of EMR and repeat EMR for recurrence, the study reports a 90% success rate. EMR changed the initial biopsy diagnosis in 34% of patients. Another trial of EMR recently described the long-term follow-up of patients with early Barrett’s-associated cancer who were managed with EMR. Complete local remission was achieved in 99% of patients. The 5-year survival rate was 98%. EMR should be a part of the evaluation of Barrett’s-associated neoplasia. As mucosal resection evolves, the technique may become standard management for highly selected subgroups of patients.

Circumferential endoscopic resection of Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma

Barrett's esophagus-related high-grade dysplasia or mucosal cancer can be treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), but the adjacent metaplastic epithelium remains at risk for developing further lesions. Our objective was to evaluate the results of the circumferential EMR in removing not only the neoplastic lesion but also the remaining Barrett's epithelium. Forty-one consecutive patients (mean age: 66 years) with Barrett's esophagus were submitted to 63 EMR sessions in one single-referral endoscopic unit. All patients had high-grade dysplasia, and cancer was detected in 23 of these cases, most of them classified as T1N0 (20 patients) by endosonography. Mucosectomy after saline submucosal injection was performed for the neoplastic lesions and, if necessary, the residual Barrett's epithelium was removed by the same technique one month later. A retrospective evaluation showed that, during a mean follow-up of 31.6 months, Barrett's epithelium was completely replaced by squamous epithelium in 31 (75.6%) cases. There were 10 complications, all of which were managed endoscopically: 8 cases of bleeding and two perforations occurred in 9 (14.3%) patients. One patient developed an esophageal stricture. Barrett's epithelium recurred in 10 (24.4%) patients and recurrent or metachronous early cancer was detected in 5 (12.2%), all but one of which were treated again by EMR; the fifth patient was referred to surgery. Argon plasma coagulation was used in 6 cases to treat Barrett's epithelium, and two patients received concomitant chemoradiotherapy as adjuvant therapy. Circumferential EMR provides an effective endoscopic approach to the management of Barrett's esophagus-related high-grade dysplasia and mucosal cancer. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the long-term results.