Search

Background: Treatment strategies for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) are determined mainly on the basis of the invasion depth. The Japan Esophageal Society (JES) developed a simplified magnifying endoscopic classification for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC. We aimed to evaluate its accuracy., Methods: We prospectively applied the JES classification for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC to 204 consecutive lesions from 6 hospitals in Japan between April 2016 and October 2018. We analyzed the accuracy of the endoscopic diagnosis by adding the following two categories to the JES classification: ≥ 7 mm lesion in B2 vessels (defined as B2 ≥ 7 mm) and B2 vessels with inflammation (defined as B2i)., Results: After applying the exclusion criteria, 201 lesions remained in the analysis. The diagnostic value of type B1, B2, B3 vessels were as follows: sensitivity, 93.9%, 68.0%, 25.0%; specificity, 81.1%, 89.2%, 99.4%; positive predictive value (PPV), 95.6%, 47.2%, 75.0%; negative predictive value (NPV), 75.0%, 95.1%, 95.4%; and accuracy, 91.5%, 86.5%, 95.0%, respectively. A retrospective analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracy was higher in type B2 vessels (86.5% to 92.0%). An avascular area (AVA) was found in 55 (27%) of the 201 lesions, which tended to be associated with a deeper pathological diagnosis of each Type B vessel. In an additional analysis, B2 ≥ 7 mm and B2i improved the diagnostic accuracy of type B2 vessels from 86.5% to 92.0%., Conclusions: The JES classification is useful for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC. The diagnostic accuracy for type B2 vessels was low, which may be improved by using B2 ≥ 7 mm and B2i., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

An 80-year-old man underwent follow-up examinations after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for esophageal cancer. Computed tomography showed enlarged lymph nodes of the right recurrent nerve. The patient had esophageal stenosis due to repeated ESD for multiple esophageal tumors. The stenosis made the passage of an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) scope through the esophagus difficult. Thus, an endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope, which had a thinner diameter than that of the EUS scope, was used for transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope-guided fine-needle aspiration. This technique led to the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer.

Objective Although Barrett's adenocarcinoma (BA) remains a minor disease in Japan, its incidence has been gradually increasing. We analyzed the characteristics of BA in Japanese populations. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records and analyzed the clinicopathological differences between short-segment Barrett's esophagus (SSBE) and long-segment Barrett's esophagus (LSBE), as well as metastasis. Local recurrence and metachronous lesions were analyzed only in patients who underwent endoscopic resection (ER). Patients Consecutive patients who had pathological T1 BAs resected by ER or surgery from January 2003 to December 2017. Results A total of 168 patients were analyzed, including 139 with SSBE and 29 with LSBE. In total, 67% of the SSBE lesions and 32% of the LSBE lesions were located between 0 and 3 o'clock (p=0.0014). No patients who achieved pathological margin-free resection (pR0) and 17% of patients who did not achieve pR0 experienced local recurrence (p=0.0131). None of the patients without lymphovascular involvement, a poorly differentiated component, lesion size of >30 mm, and submucosal invasion of >500 μm experienced metastasis. The 5-year cumulative incidence rate of metachronous BA after ER was 0% in patients with SSBE and 40% in patients with LSBE (p=0.0005). Conclusion Superficial BA was likely to be detected at the right anterior wall of SSBE in the Japanese population. The risk for metachronous BA after ER was high in Japanese patients with LSBE, as in Western patients.

A 69-year-old Japanese woman presented to our hospital for the further investigation of an esophageal subepithelial tumor. A diagnosis of extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) was made by an endoscopic biopsy. The patient had no involvement other than the esophagus. The tumor was resected using endoscopic submucosal dissection. Lymphoma recurrence has not been documented in the 57 months since resection. This case suggests that although a detailed preoperative evaluation is required to determine the extent of tumor, endoscopic resection may be an option for the long-term disease control of MALT lymphoma of the esophagus.

Background and Study Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is being increasingly used for superficial esophageal cancers. However, esophageal ESD is technically difficult, time consuming, and less safe compared with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). To perform ESD safely and more efficiently, various types of knives have been developed. This study compared the efficacy of our newly developed device, Mucosectom2, with that of conventional devices for esophageal ESD., Patients and Methods: Between May 2007 and February 2011, ESD was performed for 172 esophageal lesions. Of these, 120 lesions were treated by conventional devices only, whereas 52 lesions were treated by conventional devices and the Mucosectom2. Procedure time, en bloc and R0 resection rates, and adverse events were retrospectively compared between the conventional and Mucosectom2 groups., Results: The median procedure time was 48.0 minutes in the conventional group and 21.5 minutes in the Mucosectom2 group; the procedure time was significantly shorter in the Mucosectom2 group than in the conventional group (P < 0.0001). The en bloc and R0 resection rates were lower in the conventional group than those in the Mucosectom2 group, although these differences were not significant. The rate of exposure of the muscle layer in the Mucosectom2 group was significantly lower than in the conventional group (P = 0.04). The rates of perforation and postoperative bleeding were not significantly different between the two groups., Conclusions: This feasibility study suggests that, compared with conventional ESD devices, the Mucosectom2 may decrease the time required for esophageal ESD. Although our groups appeared comparable, they were studied at different times. Endoscopic expertise and endoscope quality may have differed during these periods, thereby affecting the results of our study. A prospective trial is therefore required to confirm our results., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)