Argon plasma coagulation with submucosal saline injection for gastric adenoma on outpatient basis

Argon plasma coagulation versus endoscopic resection for the treatment of gastric adenomas: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic resection (ER) is regarded as the treatment of choice for gastric adenoma. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is also widely used, but its efficacy and safety have not been fully established. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of APC compared with ER in treating gastric adenoma.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to April 2024. All studies that evaluated the clinical outcomes of APC or ER for treating gastric adenomas were included. The primary outcome was the local recurrence rates of APC versus ER. Secondary outcomes included procedure time, length of hospital stay, and complications.

RESULTS

A total of seven studies were included, of which four were retrospective studies that compared the outcomes of APC and ER, and three were retrospective single-arm studies that reported only outcomes of APC. APC was associated with a higher local recurrence rate in treating gastric adenoma than ER [risk ratio (RR) 4.378, 95% CI 1.995-9.607] but involved shorter procedure times (MD -45.228, 95% CI -49.436 to -41.021), shorter hospital stays (MD -2.684, 95% CI -2.932 to -2.437), and fewer complications (RR 0.329, 95% CI 0.124-0.869).

CONCLUSIONS

APC results in more local recurrence but involved a lower risk of complications than ER. APC may be considered an alternative to ER in treating gastric adenomas.

Role of submucosal injection in radiofrequency ablation of gastric low-grade dysplasia: Effects on symptoms and outcomes

BACKGROUND

To date, there is still a lack of standardized management strategies for gastric low-grade dysplasia (LGD), which is a direct neoplastic precancerous lesion and requires specifically superficial destruction. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is expected to be an effective method for gastric LGD, but post-RFA pain may affect patients' satisfaction and compliance. The current study aimed to evaluate the value of a submucosal injection prior to RFA (SI-RFA) for postoperative pain and treatment outcomes.

METHODS

Between October 2014 and July 2021, gastric LGDs without risk factors (size >2 cm, unclear boundary, and abnormal microsurface and microvascularity) undergoing regular RFA and SI-RFA were retrospectively analyzed. Postoperative pain scores, wound healing, and clinical efficacy were compared. Propensity score matching, stratified analysis, and multivariable logistic regression were performed to control the confounding variables.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-seven gastric LGDs in 151 patients received regular RFA. Forty-nine gastric LGDs in 36 patients received SI-RFA. Thirty-six pairs of patients were selected for the assessment of postoperative pain by propensity score matching. Compared to regular RFA, SI-RFA significantly decreased the degree and duration of postoperative pain (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13-0.84; P = 0.020), improved wound healing rate (80.0% [36/45] vs . 58.9% [89/151], P = 0.012), increased the complete ablation rate (91.8% [45/49] vs . 86.3% [170/197], χ2 = 1.094, P = 0.295), but correlated with higher rates of local recurrence and progression (25.6% [10/39] vs . 13.2% [18/136], χ2 = 3.471, P = 0.062; 8.3% [3/36] vs . 0.9% [1/116], P  = 0.042). The multivariable logistic regression model confirmed that submucosal injection was associated with local recurrence (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.13-7.58; P = 0.027).

CONCLUSIONS

Submucosal injections prior to RFA may reduce postoperative pain and scar formation while ensuring complete ablation of gastric LGD. However, local recurrence and progression should be considered seriously.

Clinical outcomes of argon plasma coagulation for the treatment of gastric low-grade dysplasia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Argon plasma coagulation (APC) could be considered a treatment modality for small gastric low-grade dysplasia (LGD) instead of endoscopic resection. Our study investigated the clinical outcomes of APC for treating gastric LGD and associated variables with local recurrence.

METHODS

This study included 911 patients who underwent APC for gastric neoplasms at the tertiary hospital from July 2007 to March 2022 with a minimal follow-up of 12 months. Of these patients, 112 without any information about Helicobacter pylori infection status, 164 who underwent APC for salvage therapy, 5 with high-grade dysplasia, and 12 with cancer were excluded. Through a retrospective review of medical data, the clinical outcomes and variables associated with the local recurrence were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 618 patients with LGD (median age, 64 years) were followed up for a median of 30 months, and local recurrence has happened in 21 (3.4%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that lesion size (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidential interval, 1.01-1.12) was associated with the local recurrence. Among 557 lesions smaller than 10 mm, local recurrence was found in 14 (2.6%) cases, and local recurrence was found in 7 (9.5%) cases of 109 tumors larger than 10 mm (P < .004).

CONCLUSIONS

In gastric LGD smaller than 10 mm without scars, APC is a good treatment modality in place of endoscopic resection. However, when a lesion is larger, APC should be selected carefully with close monitoring.

Clinical outcomes of ablation of gastric dysplasia with argon plasma coagulation

BACKGROUND

Although several small cohort studies have shown the utility of argon plasma coagulation (APC) in the treatment of gastric dysplasia, its clinical significance has not been established. This study aims to assess the efficacy of APC as a first line treatment for gastric dysplasia, and identify risk factors for residual dysplasia.

METHODS

A total of 179 cases of gastric dysplasia were treated with APC and have been followed-up with upper endoscopy within 1 year. The overall incidence and the characteristics of lesions with residual dysplasia in follow-up endoscopy were analyzed by logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 179 lesions treated with APC, 171 (95.5%) lesions have achieved complete ablation in the follow-up endoscopy. Additional APC was applied for residual dysplasia, achieving complete ablation in 97.77% (175/179). The upper third location of the gastric dysplasia was significantly associated with residual dysplasia, while tumor size, horizontal location, macroscopic morphology and grade of dysplasia showed no significant associations with residual dysplasia following the initial APC.

CONCLUSIONS

APC with meticulous follow-up can be recommended as a first line treatment in patients with gastric dysplasia.

Comparison of Endoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation and Argon Plasma Coagulation in Patients with Gastric Low-Grade Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Large-Scale Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Gastric low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) is a precancerous lesion of gastric cancer. Endoscopic therapies represented by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and argon plasma coagulation (APC) have been applied to treat gastric LGIN in recent years. However, no comparative study examining the effectiveness and safety profiles of RFA and APC has been reported.

METHODS

A single-center, large-scale, retrospective study, including 73 and 50 patients treated with RFA and APC, respectively, was conducted in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2015 to October 2020, with a two-year follow-up. Effectiveness, complications, operative factors, and other data were assessed.

RESULTS

At 2 years of follow-up, cure, relapse, recurrence, and progression rates were 90.4%, 9.6%, 9.6%, and 2.7% in the RFA group, respectively, versus 90%, 10%, 12%, and 4% in the APC group, respectively, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (all p > 0.05). However, the mean lesion size was significantly larger in the RFA group (2.6 ± 1.0 cm) than in the APC group (1.5 ± 0.6 cm) (p < 0.001); there was also a significant difference in the composition ratio of large lesions between the two groups (p < 0.001). No serious postoperative complications showed in either group, and the abdominal pain was the most common symptom in the short term after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

RFA and APC are both safe and effective destructive therapies for gastric LGIN. RFA is more suitable for flat and large lesions, while APC is more suitable for small lesions, especially those with slight local uplift or depression. An intraoperative submucosal injection is expected to be an effective method for relieving postoperative abdominal pain.

Effect of Antithrombotic Therapy on Bleeding after Argon Plasma Coagulation for Gastric Neoplasms

Background/Aims

Postprocedural bleeding is known to be relatively low after argon plasma coagulation (APC) for gastric neoplasms; however, there are few studies proving the effect of antithrombotic agents. This study aimed to analyze the incidence of delayed bleeding (DB) based on antithrombotic agents administered and to identify the risk factors for DB in APC for gastric tumors.

Methods

A total of 785 patients with 824 lesions underwent APC for single gastric neoplasm between January 2011 and January 2018. After exclusion, 719 and 102 lesions were classified as belonging to the non-antithrombotics (non-AT) and AT groups, respectively. The clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups, and we determined the risk factors for DB in gastric APC.

Results

Of the total 821 cases, DB occurred in 20 cases (2.4%) 17 cases in the non-AT group and three cases in the AT group (2.4% vs 2.9%, p=0.728). Multivariate analysis of the risk factors for DB confirmed the following significant, independent risk factors male sex (odds ratio, 7.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 57.69; p=0.048) and chronic kidney disease (odds ratio, 4.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.57 to 13.02; p=0.005). Thromboembolic events and perforation were not observed in all patients regardless of whether they took AT agents.

Conclusions

AT therapy is acceptably safe in gastric APC because it does not significantly increase the incidence of DB. However, patients with chronic kidney disease or male sex need to receive careful follow-up on the incidence of post-APC bleeding.

Clinical outcomes of endoscopic treatment for gastric epithelial neoplasm in remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy

BACKGROUNDS/AIM

We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of endoscopic treatment for gastric epithelial neoplasm in the remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy and compared the clinical outcomes by tumor location and endoscopic treatment modality.

METHODS

We reviewed the data of patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for gastric epithelial neoplasms in the remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy between January 1996 and August 2013. The treatments included endoscopic resection or argon plasma coagulation.

RESULTS

Herein, 107 patients (median age, 65.1 years; 92 men) encompassing 117 cases of gastric neoplasms in the remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy were endoscopically treated. Forty of these lesions were located at anastomotic sites; they were treated with endoscopic resection in 29 cases (72.5%) and argon plasma coagulation in 11 cases (27.5%). For 77 lesions located on the non-anastomotic site, endoscopic resection was performed in 68 cases (88.4%) and argon plasma coagulation was performed in nine cases (11.7%; p = 0.031). The mean endoscopic resection duration was significantly longer in the anastomotic site group than in the non-anastomotic site group (43.6 vs. 26.3 min, p = 0.018). Recurrence was observed in five (12.8%) patients in the former and in one (1.3%) in the latter (p = 0.015); all the patients were successfully retreated with endoscopic resection or APC.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic treatment for gastric epithelial neoplasm in a remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy is effective and safe. However, closely monitoring for recurrence should be conducted, particularly when the tumor is located at the anastomotic site.

Cost-effectiveness and short-term clinical outcomes of argon plasma coagulation compared with endoscopic submucosal dissection in the treatment of gastric low-grade dysplasia

Endoscopic treatment such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or argon plasma coagulation (APC) is widely performed to treat gastric low-grade dysplasia (LGD). We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of APC versus ESD for gastric LGD in terms of cost-effectiveness. This was a retrospective review of patients with gastric LGD who were treated with endoscopic intervention (APC or ESD) between March 2011 to December 2015. Fifty-nine patients treated with APC and 124 patients treated with ESD were included. Patients in the APC group were significantly older (mean age, 67.68 vs 63.90 years, respectively, P < .01), had an increased rate of Helicobacter pylori infection (27.1 vs 10.5%, respectively, P < .01), and had a higher mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score (2.32 vs 0.38, respectively, P < .01) than those in the ESD group. The 2 groups did not differ in tumor size, location, macroscopic morphology, or surface configuration. The procedure time (11.31 vs56.44 minutes, respectively, P < .01), and hospital stay (3.2 vs 5.6 days, respectively, P < .01) were significantly, shorter in the APC group than in the ESD group. Additionally, the cost incurred was significantly, lower in the APC group than in the ESD group (962.03 vs 2,534.80 dollars, respectively, P < .01). APC has many advantages related to safety, and cost-effectiveness compared with ESD. Therefore, APC can be considered an alternative treatment option for gastric LGD.

The Usefulness of Argon Plasma Coagulation Compared with Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection to Treat Gastric Adenoma

Background/Aims

To date, the best therapeutic modality for gastric adenoma, especially low-grade adenoma, has not been established. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of argon plasma coagulation (APC) in treating gastric adenoma compared with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

Methods

We included 210 patients with gastric adenoma, who underwent treatment with either APC (97 patients) or ESD (113 patients). The clinical and pathologic characteristics, mean duration of hospital stay, complications, and recurrence rates between the two groups were compared.

Results

The mean adenoma size was 0.9 cm and 1.1 cm in the APC group and ESD group, respectively (p<0.001). The mean duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the APC group than in the ESD group (1.6 days vs. 5.8 days, p<0.001). Complications did not occur in the APC group. However, one case of perforation (0.9%) and 6 cases of bleeding (5.3%) occurred in the ESD group. The recurrence rates were 15.3% (15/97 patients) in the APC group and 3.5% (4/113 patients) in the ESD group (p=0.003). The proportion of hospitalization was less in the APC group (43.3%, 42/97) than in the ESD group (100.0%, 113/113) (p<0.001). Medical expense was less in the APC group (377,172 won) than in the ESD group (1,430,610 won) (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that APC is a safe treatment method for gastric adenoma without serious complications. However, regular endoscopic follow-up is necessary to detect any residual or recurrent lesions due to the relatively high rate of local recurrence after APC.

[Endoscopic Treatment of Gastric Adenoma]

Gastric adenoma (dysplasia) is a precancerous lesion. Therefore, managements of gastric adenomas are important for preventing the development of gastric cancers and for detecting gastric cancers at earlier stages. The Vienna classification divides gastric adenomas into two categories: high-grade dysplasia and low-grade dysplasia. Generally, endoscopic resection is performed for adenoma with high-grade dysplasia due to the coexistence of carcinoma and the potential of progression to carcinomas. However, the treatments of adenoma with low-grade dysplasia remain controversial. Currently two treatment strategies for the low-grade type have been suggested; First is the 'wait and see' strategy; Second is endoscopic treatment (e.g., endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection, or argon plasma coagulation). In this review, we discuss the current optimal strategies for endoscopic management of gastric adenoma.

Clinical outcomes of argon plasma coagulation therapy for early gastric neoplasms

Background/Aims

Argon plasma coagulation (APC) has some merits in the treatment of gastric neoplasms including a shorter operative time and fewer complications compared with endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection. However, there are few reports on the outcomes of gastric neoplasms treated using APC. The aim of this study was to evaluate APC in the treatment of early gastric neoplasms in terms of clinical efficacy, safety, and local recurrence.

Methods

We enrolled 28 patients who received APC therapy at the Kyungpook National University Hospital between May 2007 and April 2013. Clinical outcomes were analyzed.

Results

The median follow-up period was 24.8 months (range, 2 to 78). Among the 28 lesions treated using the APC procedure, tumor recurrence was encountered in seven lesions (25.0%). Recurrence was found in 50% (5/10) of single APC cases and 11% (2/18) of rescue APC cases. The mean time to recurrence was 16.1 months (range, 2 to 78). There were no serious APC-related complications such as perforation, bleeding, or infection.

Conclusions

APC therapy can be a useful treatment with a favorable safety profile for patients with early gastric neoplasms. However, further studies are necessary to determine the long-term prognosis of patients undergoing this treatment.

A case of endoscopic full-thickness resection in a patient with gastric high-grade dysplasia unsuitable for endoscopic submucosal dissection

Gastric high-grade dysplasia is an important premalignant lesion in gastric epithelial cells and has a high possibility of transforming to adenocarcinoma. Therefore, biopsy-proven high-grade dysplasia should be treated with en bloc resection methods such as endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We report the case of a 63-year-old male patient, diagnosed with gastric high-grade dysplasia at the angle and lesser curvature side of the lower body. The patient was initially treated with ESD, although histopathology subsequently showed horizontal margin involvement. Since the lesion was diffusely edematous and margins were uncertain because of the previous ESD treatment, we chose to treat the patient with laparoscopy-assisted endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR). EFTR is a recently developed procedure, which uses both endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques to resect the full-thickness of the tissue. The final pathologic report revealed high-grade dysplasia and a focal intramucosal carcinoma of 0.8×0.7 cm. We conclude that EFTR can be an effective alternative treatment in gastric high-grade dysplasia unsuitable for ESD.

Clinical outcomes of argon plasma coagulation for the treatment of gastric neoplasm

BACKGROUND

There are insufficient reports on the outcomes and local recurrence rates for gastric neoplasms treated using argon plasma coagulation (APC). The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical outcomes in early gastric cancer or gastric adenoma patients following APC treatment.

METHODS

Seventy-one patients were enrolled and all underwent APC at the Asan Medical Center between July 2007 and August 2011. Clinical and oncological outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

The median follow-up period was 20 months (interquartile range 13-29 months). Among the 71 patients we evaluated, nonlifting after submucosal saline injection was found in 35 patients and 15 patients (21.2%) experienced local recurrence with a median period of 10 months (IQR 5-13 months). The rate of local recurrence was higher in the nonlifting group and the 40-W group than in the lifting group and the 60- or 80-W groups (31.4 vs. 11.1%, p = 0.045 and 31.7 vs. 6.7%, p = 0.017, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the power setting with the 40-W and nonlifting groups after submucosal injection was associated with local recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

APC therapy after submucosal saline injection using high power (60 or 80 W) appears to be an effective alternative in the management of gastric neoplasm.

Argon plasma coagulation is safe and effective for treating smaller gastric lesions with low-grade dysplasia: a comparison with endoscopic submucosal dissection

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The best therapeutic modality has not been established for gastric low-grade adenomas or dysplasia (LGD), which can progress to invasive carcinoma despite a low risk. This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy, safety, and local recurrence after argon plasma coagulation (APC) treatment of gastric LGD compared with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 320 patients with gastric LGD ≤ 2.0 cm treated with APC or ESD between 2004 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. We compared local recurrence rate, complication rate, procedure time, and admission to hospital between APC and ESD groups.

RESULTS

Of the 320 patients, 116 patients were treated with APC and 204 with ESD. During follow-up, local recurrence was more common in the APC group (3.8 %, 4/106) than the ESD group (0.5 %, 1/188; log-rank test P = 0.036). However, all patients with local recurrence (n = 5) were treated by additional APC, and followed up without further recurrences. ESD was complicated by two perforations (1.0 %, 2/204) compared with no perforations in the APC group (0 %, 0/116). Bleeding complications were not different between the APC (1.7 %, 2/116) and ESD (2.0 %, 4/204) groups. Procedure time was shorter in the APC (7.8 ± 5.1 min) than the ESD (53.1 ± 38.1 min) group (P < 0.001). The proportion of hospitalization was less in the APC group (31.0 %, 36/116) than the ESD group (100.0 %, 204/204) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

APC can be a good treatment option for patients with LGD ≤ 2.0 cm.