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Background The optimal management of patients with Barrett's-associated low-grade dysplasia ( LGD) is unclear. The objective of this study was to identify systematically all reports of endoscopic treatment of LGD, and to assess outcomes in terms of disease progression, eradication of dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia, and complication rates. Methods A systematic review of articles reporting endoscopic treatment of LGD was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched to identify the relevant literature. Rates of complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia ( CE-IM) and dysplasia ( CE-D) were reported. The pooled incidence of progression to cancer was calculated following endoscopic therapy. Results Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting outcomes of endoscopic therapy for 521 patients with LGD. The pooled incidence of progression to cancer was 3·90 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 1·27 to 9·10) per 1000 patient-years. CE-IM and CE-D were achieved in 67·8 (95 per cent c.i. 50·2 to 81·5) and 88·9 (83·9 to 92·5) per cent of patients respectively. The commonest adverse event was stricture formation. Conclusion Reports of endoscopic therapy were heterogeneous and follow-up periods were short. There is a high likelihood of historical overdiagnosis of LGD. Endoscopic therapy, particularly radiofrequency ablation, appears safe and effective at eradicating LGD, but does not eliminate the risk of progression to cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the reliability of Raman spectroscopy, an optical biopsy technique, in the classification of lymph nodes as positive or negative for metastatic breast cancer; Collection of lymph node sections after breast cancer resection; Ability of optical biopsy to classify positive lymph nodes with high specificity.

Aim: Near-infrared-Raman (NIR) spectroscopy enables detection of biochemical changes in tissue that are noted in premalignancy and malignancy. The prospect of utilizing NIR spectroscopy for analysis of colonic mucosa has been explored in vitro and full spectrum of pathology studied. Methods: Biopsy specimens were collected during routine endoscopy and spectra measured from 261 samples using NIR Renishaw microspectrometer. Multivariate analysis techniques have been employed to optimally separate the groups and spectral diagnostic models constructed and evaluated by employing cross-validation testing. Results: Sensitivity has been shown to vary between 77% in dysplasia and 90% in normal colonic mucosa. Specificity ranged between 91% in adenocarcinoma and 100% in ulcerative colitis. Conclusion: NIR spectroscopy demonstrated high levels of discrimination between pathological states and has the potential to provide a new methodology for non-invasive detection, classification and grading of colonic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]