Endoscopic submucosal dissection combined with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for early gastric cancer on gastric fundal varices

A case of esophageal carcinoma on esophageal varices treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy

Esophageal varices (EVs) are often treated using endoscopic injection sclerotherapy. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been used for early esophageal epithelial neoplasia worldwide. We report a case of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that occurred over EVs, in which the EVs were treated with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy before the early ESCC was treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection. Argon plasma coagulation was finally performed to prevent the recurrence of varices. No serious complications, such as severe bleeding or perforation, were observed. Histopathological examination revealed submucosal veins occluded with an organized thrombus for which endoscopic injection sclerotherapy with an intravariceal injection of sclerosant had been performed, but no fibrosis was observed outside the blood vessels. This explains that the injected sclerosant into EVs did not cause any tissue reaction like fibrosis in the submucosa surrounding the vein, which may have made endoscopic submucosal dissection safer and easier. Varices have not recurred, and ESCC has also not recurred for 5 years. We demonstrated a successful treatment of ESCC on EVs and no submucosal fibrosis other than inside the occluded vessels and verified it histologically.

Successful endoscopic submucosal dissection of early gastric cancer located on gastric varices after treatment with balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration

Gastric varices occur in patients with liver cirrhosis and cause major bleeding when they rupture. We report a case of an 80-year-old man with liver cirrhosis and chronic renal failure who was diagnosed with a gastric tumor located on gastric varices that had increased in size. The patient underwent balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) to control bleeding, and the gastric varices were eradicated. Two months after BRTO, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was performed, and en bloc resection was accomplished without severe intraoperative bleeding or complications during or after ESD. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment of early gastric cancer located on gastric varices by ESD in a patient with liver cirrhosis. Early gastric cancer located on gastric varices can be safely resected by performing BRTO prior to ESD.

Successful endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer adjacent to gastric cardia varix

A 58-year-old man with liver cirrhosis and renal failure was diagnosed with esophageal varices (EVs) and a gastric cardia varix (GCV) by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).　The patient also exhibited early gastric cancer (EGC) in the upper gastric body adjacent to the GCV.　The EVs and GCV were treated using endoscopy before endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of the EGC to prevent variceal bleeding during ESD.　Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) was performed to treat the EVs.　In addition, extra-variceal polidocanol injection and argon plasma coagulation (APC) were performed after EVL.　Follow-up EGD two months after APC revealed that the GCV had diminished in size.　Then, ESD was performed with polidocanol injection into the submucosa around the GCV to prevent bleeding.　During ESD, the EGC was resected en bloc without severe bleeding.　Complications were not observed after ESD.　Histopathological examination of the ESD specimens indicated that the resection was curative.