Resection Of Early Esophageal Cancer Research Articles

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after ligation and sclerotherapy of esophageal and gastric varices

Esophageal cancer ranked ten of the most common cancers in China. With the advancement of high-quality endoscopy and chromoendoscopic technique, early esophageal cancer can be diagnosed more easily, even combined with esophageal-gastric fundal varices. Endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer is a minimally invasive treatment method for early esophageal cancer, and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is one of the standard treatments for early esophageal cancer in view of the risk of bleeding, the patient in this study successfully received ESD treatment after using endoscopic variceal ligation and endoscopic injection of tissue glue and sclerosing agent before ESD surgery. ESD treatment is safe and feasible for early esophageal cancer patients with cirrhosis of esophageal-gastric fundal varices.

Spasmodic contraction induced by high concentration iodine staining to facilitate underwater endoscopic mucosal resection of early esophageal cancer.

Spasmodic contraction induced by high concentration iodine staining to facilitate underwater endoscopic mucosal resection of early esophageal cancer.

Associated risk factor analysis and the prognostic impact of positive resection margins after endoscopic resection in early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer has a risk of residual margins. The risk these residual margins pose have not been fully evaluated. The present study aimed to investigate the associated risk factors and prognosis of residual margins following the endoscopic resection of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In total, 369 patients (381 lesions) with early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University (Shijiazhuang, China) with endoscopic resection were retrospectively analyzed. Sex, age, location, tumor diameter, depth of tumor invasion, endoscopic treatment, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) before resection, work experience of endoscopists and the degree of tumor differentiation were all evaluated as potential risk factors. In addition, the prognosis of patients with positive margins were analyzed. A total of 73 patients (73/381, 19.2%) had positive margins after endoscopic resection. Amongst the 65 patients who were successfully followed up, five patients succumbed to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, one patient received radiotherapy, two patients received radiotherapy and chemotherapy whilst one patient received chemotherapy. By contrast, 12 patients received surgery and 20 patients received additional endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection. The other 29 patients were followed up regularly and no recurrence could be found. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor diameter, endoscopic treatment, depth of invasion, EUS before resection, degree of tumor differentiation and direction of invasion were all associated with the positive margin. Multivariate logistic regression analysis then found that EUS before resection, degree of tumor differentiation and depth of tumor invasion are independent risk factors for positive margins after endoscopic resection. These results suggest that poorly differentiated lesions and deeper invasion depth can increase the risk of positive margin after endoscopic resection. As a result, EUS evaluation before resection may reduce the risk of invasion depth. In addition, for poorly differentiated lesions, more aggressive treatment regimens may be recommended for preventing recurrence.

Organ Preservation after Endoscopic Resection of Early Esophageal Cancer with a High Risk of Lymph Node Involvement.

Simple SummaryVirtually all early (T1) esophageal cancers can be resected endoscopically. However, the presence of histologic criteria on the resection specimen (deep submucosal invasion, lymphovascular involvement, poor tumor differentiation) are believed to be associated with a high risk (> 10%) of lymph node involvement. Therefore, the presence of such histoprognostic criteria currently require an esophagectomy. However, some patients are unfit for surgery or decline surgery, and undergo close follow-up or chemoradiotherapy. We analyzed the outcomes of these patients. We included 41 patients, of which thirteen (32%) were closely monitored, and 28 (68%) were treated by chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. After a mean follow-up of 19 and 28 months, cancer specific survival was 100% and 96%, respectively. Our study shows that close follow-up may be an alternative to esophagectomy after endoscopic resection of an early esophageal cancer with a predicted high risk of lymph node involvement.Background: Esophagectomy is recommended after endoscopic resection of an early esophageal cancer when pejorative histoprognostic criteria indicate a high risk of lymph node involvement. Our aim was to analyze the clinical outcomes of a non-surgical, organ preserving management in this clinical setting. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was performed in two tertiary centers from 2015 to 2020. Patients were included if they had histologically complete resection of an early esophageal cancer, with poor differentiation, lymphovascular invasion or deep submucosal invasion. Endoscopic resection was followed by chemoradiotherapy or follow-up in case of surgical contraindications or patient refusal. Outcome measures were disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and toxicity of chemoradiotherapy. Results: Forty-one patients (36 with squamous cell carcinoma and 5 with adenocarcinomas) were included. The estimated high risk of lymph node involvement was based on poor differentiation (10/41; 24%), lympho-vascular invasion (11/41; 27%), muscularis mucosa invasion or deep sub-mucosal invasion (38/41; 93%). Thirteen patients (13/41; 32%) were closely monitored, and 28 (28/41; 68%) were treated by chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. In the close follow-up group, DFS, OS and CSS were 92%, 92% and 100%, respectively vs. 75%, 79% and 96%, respectively in the chemoradiotherapy group at the end of the follow-up. Serious adverse events related to chemoradiotherapy occurred in 10% of the patients. There were no treatment-related deaths. Conclusions: Our study shows that close follow-up may be an alternative to systematic esophagectomy after endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer with a predicted high risk of lymph node involvement.

Progress in adjuvant therapy decision-making after endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer

Both endoscopic resection and surgery are the common treatment modes for early esophageal cancer. Compared with radical surgery, endoscopic resection has the advantages of less trauma, quicker recovery, lower cost, less complications, the preservation of the normal anatomy, the physiological function of the esophagus, and higher postoperative quality of life. For patients with a high risk of lymph node metastasis, endoscopic resection alone can lead to inadequate treatment, which need adjuvant therapies. Currently, the common adjuvant therapies consist of adjuvant radiochemotherapy and adjuvant radiochemotherapy combined with surgery. How to combine endoscopic resection with adjuvant therapy to bring maximal benefits to patients has become the hot topic in the field of clinical researches. In this article, the current research status, progress and challenges in the combination of endoscopic resection and adjuvant therapy for the treatment of high-risk patients were reviewed. Key words: Esophageal neoplasm/endoscopic resection; Esophageal neoplasm/surgery; Esophageal neoplasms/chemoradiotherapy; Progress

396 Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Resection of T1b N0 Esophageal Cancer: Retrospective Multicenter Study

INTRODUCTION: While esophagectomy is the standard treatment for submucosal (T1b) esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and squamous cell cancer (SCC), many elderly patients -the age group that esophageal cancer tends to affect- are not candidates for surgery. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive procedure that allows for en-bloc resection of early esophageal cancer and allows for precise histopathologic staging of the tumor. ESD could be curative in submucosal cancer without lymph node metastasis, and it allows for precise histopathologic staging. To evaluate the long-term outcomes of ESD in patients with EUS-staged T1b esophageal cancer. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study was performed at three academic hospitals in the U.S. Patients who underwent ESD with a pre-procedural or post-procedural histopathologic diagnosis of T1b N0 M0 EAC or SCC were included in the study. Data was collected on demographics, tumor and procedure characteristics, procedure pathology, and follow-up. Local recurrence was confirmed by endoscopic findings and pathological analysis. Metastasis was confirmed by cross-sectional imaging. The main outcome was a composite of rate of metastasis and local recurrence. Follow-up time was defined as months from initial procedure to recurrence or last follow-up visit if recurrence-free. A time-to-event analysis was performed to evaluate recurrence. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients underwent ESD (mean age 69.6 years +/-9; 35 males) (Table 1). Based on available comorbidity data, 42% patients were not fit for surgery, as determined by an age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index > 6. Twenty tumors (62%) were found to be HGD or T1a on post-ESD specimen analysis, while one was staged as T2. Nineteen patients were staged as T1b after ESD. Immediately after ESD, 6 patients were referred for surgery, 3 underwent chemoradiation therapy, and 6 radiation alone (Table 2). Patients were followed for a median of 18 months, and the calculated 24-month recurrence rate was 13% (Figure 1). CONCLUSION: This multicenter trial showed that ESD for T1b esophageal cancer can be acceptable for patients who deemed not surgical candidates. However, close follow up is necessary. ESD can also serve as a staging procedure, as our data confirms inaccurate EUS-staging of T1b cancer, with 62% of tumors being down-staged to T1a, as has been previously reported.

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal carcinoma.

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer is a very precise endoscopic surgical technique and having experience in endoscopic resection is mandatory to perform these kinds of procedures safely. In case of adequate resection and favorable histological outcome, long-term prognosis of the patient is excellent. The basic principle for endoscopic treatment of early adenocarcinoma is based on the fact that the risk of lymph node metastasis gradually increases with the depth of invasion. Inspection and evaluation of all mucosal and submucosal lesions need to be done carefully before endoscopic resection. Endoscopic resection of mucosal (T1m1-3) and superficial submucosal (T1sm1) adenocarcinoma can be curative as well as for superficial mucosal (T1m1-m2) squamous cell carcinoma. In Paris type I lesions in Barrett's esophagus and for early squamous cell carcinoma endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the preferred option. The risk of severe adverse events associated with endoscopic resection are low. Most adverse events are managed endoscopically and can be treated conservatively. Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation is the most widely used ablation technique for Barrett's epithelium and highly effective to achieve full remission of dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia. The role of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment armamentarium in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus has still to be determined.

Outcomes of esophagectomy after noncurative endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer.

Background:Current guidelines recommend performing esophagectomy after endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer when the risk of lymph node metastasis or residual cancer is found to be significant and endoscopic treatment is therefore noncurative. Our aim was to assess the safety and oncological outcomes of esophagogastric resection in this specific clinical setting.Patients and methods:A retrospective review from 2012 to 2018 was performed at four tertiary referral centers. All patients had a noncurative endoscopic resection of a clinical T1 esophageal cancer, followed by esophagectomy. Outcome measures were the rates of T0N0 specimens, overall survival, disease-free and cancer-specific survival, postoperative morbidity and mortality.Results:A total of 30 patients (13 with squamous cell carcinoma and 17 with adenocarcinoma) were included. The reasons for noncurative endoscopic resection were: positive vertical margins (n = 12), squamous cell carcinoma with muscularis mucosae or submucosal layer invasion (n = 3 and 9), adenocarcinoma with deep submucosal invasion (n = 11), poorly differentiated tumor (n = 6) and lymphovascular invasion (n = 6). Overall, 63% of the esophagi were T0N0: most residual lesions were T1a metachronous lesions, and four (13%) patients had advanced pT status (n = 3) or lymph node metastases (n = 2). Overall survival, disease-free survival and cancer-specific survival were 83%, 75%, and 90% respectively. A total of 43% of patients had severe postoperative complications, and postoperative mortality was 7%.Conclusion:In this cohort, esophagectomy allowed the resection of residual advanced cancer or lymph node metastases in 13% of cases, at the cost of 43% severe morbidity and 7% mortality. Therefore, the possibility of close follow up needs to be balanced with a highly morbid surgical management in these patients.

Management of strictures after endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer has a high therapeutic effect while being minimally invasive. Especially, the establishment of the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) procedure has made it possible to resect large lesions in an en-bloc manner. As a result, accurate pathology evaluation became possible, and the risk of local recurrence was extremely low. On the other hand, esophageal strictures after endoscopic treatment of an extensive circumferential lesion are a potential problem. Previously, for the prevention and treatment of esophageal strictures, patients had to undergo painful endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) many times. It is, however, associated with complications (perforation, bleeding, etc.). For this, oral intake and/or a local injection of steroids were given and EBD sessions were less frequently or even unnecessarily performed. Furthermore, oral mucosa epithelial cell sheet transplantation and biodegradable stents are applied for controlling post-ESD stricture. Nevertheless, EBD was still the treatment option for refractory cases of stenosis. Recently, endoscopic radial incision and cutting methods have been applied to esophageal post-procedural strictures and even for anastomotic strictures following surgery. Thus, it is now becoming possible to treat circumferential lesions with ESD and to control the resultant stenosis.

Mo1040 Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Early Esophageal Cancer Is Effective and Safe but the Risk of Recurrence Warrants Continued Surveillance

Mo1040 Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Early Esophageal Cancer Is Effective and Safe but the Risk of Recurrence Warrants Continued Surveillance

Risk factors of chest pain after endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer.

Although endoscopic resection is sometimes associated with chest pain, the risk factors for this complication have not been investigated. From January 2003 to December 2007, 241 patients were treated by endoscopic resection and 139 patients who met our criteria were analyzed. The case group was 40 patients who took an analgesic after endoscopic resection because of chest pain. The controls were 79 patients who did not experience chest pain after endoscopic resection. Twenty patients experienced chest pain, but did not take any analgesics. Although, 60 patients (43%) experienced chest pain, this was treatable by a common analgesic. Univariate analysis revealed that female gender had significant association and resection of posterior wall mucosa had marginal association with chest pain and analgesic use. No significant association with chest pain and analgesic use was found for age, resection method, use of acid suppressing drugs, lesion size and site. Logistic-regression analysis showed that significant risk factors for chest pain and analgesic use were female gender (odds ratio 3.45) and resection of posterior wall mucosa (odds ratio 3.13). Female gender and resection of posterior wall mucosa were associated with chest pain and analgesic use after endoscopic resection.

The effectiveness and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection compared with endoscopic mucosal resection for early esophageal cancer： a meta analysis

Objective Explore the differences in effectiveness and safety between endoscopic sub- mucosal dissection （ESD） and endoscopic mucosal resection （EMR） for early esophageal cancer （EEC）. Methods Papers published from January 1990 to December 2012 in Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, Wanfang, VIP and CNKI were searched in English and Chinese respectively to identify the studies comparing ESD with EMR for EEC. Meta-analysis for each outcome of the included studies that were identified by the inclusion criteria and the exclusion criteria was conducted using software Revman 5.1. Outcome measures consisted of three effectiveness-relevant measures （ rates of en bloc resection, curative resection, local recur- rence） and four safety-relevant measures （bleeding, perforation, stenosis and operation time）. Results A total of 8 non-randomized retrospective cohort studies （five full-text and three abstracts） were included. Me- ta-analysis showed significantly higher rates of en bloc resection [ 98.36% （560/366） vs. 41.79% （252/603）, P 〈0. 01 ], curative resection [90. 81% （168/185） vs. 50. 65% （ 194/383）, P 〈0. 01 ] and perforation [g. 51% （21/466） vs. 1.25% （8/640）, P =0.05] in ESD group compared with EMR group, and the rate of local recurrence was significantly lower in ESD group [ 0. 55% （2/366） vs. 13.76% （85/603）, P 〈0.01 ]. There were no significant differences in the rates of bleeding [0.21% （1/466） vs. 0.63%（4/640）, P =0.41] or stenosis [10.48% （39/372） vs. 10.15% （41/404）, P =0.89].Conclusion Compared with EMR, ESD showed obvious advantages of effectiveness and resemble risks for endoscopic resection of EEC, therefore ESD should be the first choice for endoscopic treatment of EEC. Key words: Meta-analysis ; Esophageal neoplasms ; Endoscopic submucosal dissection; Endo- scopic mucosal resectio

Management of complications associated with endoscopic submucosal dissection/ endoscopic mucosal resection for esophageal cancer

Endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer (EEC) is an established therapy in Japan and is increasingly becoming accepted and used regularly in other countries. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), an application of conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), has been developed to allow the resection of larger lesions in an en bloc manner; the earliest results so far have been promising even in EEC. ESD allows precise assessment of the histopathological curability of resected specimens, reducing local recurrence. However, ESD has relatively high complication rates; notification of perforation risk is essential especially in the esophagus. Bleeding during ESD can be managed by endoscopic closure with endoclips, and delayed bleeding is rare. Esophageal stricture following semicircular or complete circular esophageal ESD was relatively frequent even when treated by multiple pre-emptive endoscopic balloon dilation. Endoscopic triamcinolone injection, temporal stenting and innovative transplantation of autologous tissue-engineered epithelial cell sheets have shown promising results for the prevention of luminal stricture following semicircular esophageal ESD. In cases of circumferential ESD, however, giving oral prednisolone can offer a unique treatment option for the prevention of intractable post-procedural stricture of the esophagus.

A submucosal tumor-like recurrence of early esophageal cancer after endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Early esophageal cancer is defined as a tumor invading the mucosa with or without lymph node or distant organ metastasis. In the current guidelines for early esophageal cancer, absolute indication for endoscopic resection include lesions limited to the epithelium or lamina propria mucosa not exceeding two-thirds of the circumference, and relative indications include lesions limited to the muscularis mucosa or the upper third of the submucosal layer and not accompanied by clinical evidence of lymph node metastasis. After endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal cancer, locally recurrent cancer can occur, especially in the case of incomplete resection. Here, we report a rare case of a submucosal tumor-like recurrence after endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer.

Esophageal Cancer—An Update Review

With the decrease of cancer incidences in a few major cancers, such as breast cancer and lung cancer, the incidence of esophageal cancer has still been climbing up steadily for the past decades, especially adenocarcinoma. Our views on esophageal cancer have been evolving as well. Modifications of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging has been implemented in its recent edition in 2010. Diagnostic and follow-up standards are changing with more and more physicians and hospitals considering endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy as a minimal requirement for definitive diagnosis and accurate staging. In some large centers and by some physicians, laproscopic/ thorascopic biopsy are attempted to diagnose esophageal cancer with more accurate definitive staging. The widespread use of imaging studies, such as computed tomography and/or positon emission tomography, has improved the diagnosis in guiding the therapeutic options. In early stage esophageal cancer management, the acceptable modalities are still radiofrequency ablation, endoscopic mucosal resection, and photodynamic therapy. The advantages and disadvantages are discussed in this article. Surgical resection of early esophageal cancer of T2 or greater staging or N1 is still considered standard with potential to ‘cure’ while minimal invasive laproscopic surgery showed acceptable improved effects and quality of life but are still limited to some tertiary centers. Multi-modality therapies of esophageal cancer in locally advanced stage, both resectable and unresectable, are discussed in this review. For operable diseases, neoadjuvant therapy, peri-surgery therapy, adjuvant therapy, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy are discussed. Unresectable esophageal cancer of both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma as well as cancer with Her2/neu expression are also considered. The attached table listed the major landmark phase III clinical trials involving esophageal carcinoma. Metastatic cancer management, including the importance of quality of life management among the survivors is also examined.

Extensive (8 to 12 cm 2) Noncircumferential Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Early Esophageal Cancer

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is an appealing method for treating intramucosal esophageal cancer but must comply with the following stringent requirements: proper preoperative staging, complete resection of the lesion, obtaining a resected specimen for histologic analysis of safety margins, and squamous reepithelialization without stricture formation. A rigid esophagoscope was created to resect up to 12 cm(2) of esophageal mucosa in a single specimen and at a constant depth through the submucosa. Under visual control, the esophageal mucosa is sucked into a transparent window and resected with a thin diathermy wire loop in 10 seconds. After extensive preclinical studies in a sheep model, this article reports our early experience in humans. Twenty-one hemi-circumferential EMRs were performed for 11 dysplastic Barrett's esophagi and 10 early squamous cell carcinomas with no perforation, one hemorrhage controlled by embolization of the left gastric artery, and one incomplete resection. Deep safety margins were clear in 19 of 21 resected specimens (2 patients, unfit for operations, had submucosal invasion of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, respectively). Lateral margins were not clear by definition in 7 circumferential Barrett's esophagi, but were clear in 4 incomplete Barrett's esophagi and 10 early squamous cell carcinomas. Large EMRs of 12 cm(2) can safely be performed at the submucosal level in the esophagus. Although feasible in one session, circumferential EMR in humans is not yet advisable because of the risk of stricture formation during the healing phase. The rate of complications of this series of 21 EMRs in humans is acceptable.

Four-Step Endoscopic Esophageal Mucosal Resection (EEMR) Tube Method of Resection for Early Esophageal Cancer

Four-Step Endoscopic Esophageal Mucosal Resection (EEMR) Tube Method of Resection for Early Esophageal Cancer

Limited resection for early esophageal cancer?

Early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and early adenocarcinoma (AC) of the esophagus are potentially curable diseases. The crucial point in treatment is that the depth of tumor infiltration into the mucosal and submucosal layers is correlated with the rate of nodal metastases and therefore with long-term prognosis. In submucosal SCC with a high rate of nodal metastases curative resection can be achieved only by radical esophagectomy with systematic lymphadenectomy, which remains the treatment of choice for this tumor entity. In submucosal AC the Merendino procedure may offer an alternative since lymphatic invasion occurs at a later stage than in SCC, and locoregional lymph nodes can be adequately resected. Major advantages of this operation over radical esophagectomy include the complete resection of the entire Barrett segment and the lower postoperative morbidity and mortality. Vagal-sparing esophagectomy still lacks adequate oncological evaluation for it to be recommended except in stage I a tumors. For mucosal SCC and AC endoscopic mucosal resection is the treatment of choice but requires intensive follow-up since the rate of complete resections is lower than in limited and radical surgical procedures. On the other hand, a low postoperative morbidity and the functional integrity of the tubular esophagus support the use of endoscopic mucosal resection for mucosal cancer.

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer complicated by esophageal varices

Purpose: Perioperative morbidity is a substantial problem in the surgical treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Endoscopic mucosal resection offers a therapeutic alternative to esophagectomy for early esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer complicated by esophageal varices

Endoscopic resection for early esophageal cancer complicated by esophageal varices