Challenges During Esophagectomy in Presence of Thoracic Anatomical Anomalies: A Report of Three Cases

BACKGROUND/AIM

Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is a complex surgical procedure with predefined surgical steps. Anatomical anomalies can offer additional challenges in case of surgical treatment. We present three cases of esophageal carcinoma with thoracic anatomical anomalies affecting the treatment strategy. The aim was to address the anatomical challenges of the anomalies and their impact on surgery as well as elaborate on possible solutions.

CASE REPORT

We present three patient cases with anomalies of the thoracic anatomy. The first patient had a tumor with suspected ingrowth in an arteria lusoria. Restaging after definitive chemoradiotherapy showed progression of disease but without previously noted signs of vascular wall invasion and salvage robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) was performed. The second patient had an azygos lobe of the lung and underwent RAMIE after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The azygos vein was clipped, and paratracheal lymph node dissection was performed, however with limited extent at the right side due to the anatomical situation. The third patient was diagnosed with a right aortic arch, where the aortic arch transverses over the right bronchus instead of the left and descends to the right of and posterior to the esophagus and trachea. Treatment included definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) without surgery, given the anatomical situation and a complete clinical response to dCRT of a squamous cell carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Thoracic anatomical anomalies are rare entities, which can be asymptomatic. Clinical implications can arise in combination with diagnosis of esophageal cancer and the need for surgical treatment. Therefore, detailed information regarding possible anomalies must be obtained prior to surgery and potential challenges have to be taken into consideration. Resection of related structures with tumor ingrowth can be considered in selected cases to achieve a radical resection.

Adequacy of endoscopic recognition and surveillance of gastric intestinal metaplasia and atrophic gastritis: A multicentre retrospective study in low incidence countries

BACKGROUND

Gastric atrophy (GA) and gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) are precursor conditions to gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) and should be monitored endoscopically in selected individuals. However, little is known about adherence to recommendations in clinical practice in low-risk countries.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate endoscopic recognition and adequacy of surveillance for GA and GIM in countries with low GAC prevalence.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed patients diagnosed with GIM or GA in three centers in The Netherlands and UK between 2012 and 2019. Cases with GIM and/or GA diagnosis at index endoscopy were retrieved through systematic search of pathology databases using 'gastric' and 'intestinal metaplasia' or 'atrophy' keywords. Endoscopy reports were analysed to ascertain accuracy of endoscopic diagnoses. Adequacy of surveillance was assessed following histological diagnosis at the index endoscopy based on ESGE guidelines published in 2012.

RESULTS

We included 396 patients with a median follow-up of 57.2 months. Mean age was 66 years and the rates of antrum-predominant versus extensive GIM were comparable (37% vs 38%). Endoscopic recognition rates were 48.5% for GA and 16.3% for GIM. Surveillance was adequately carried out in 215 of 396 patients (54.3%).

CONCLUSION

In countries with a low incidence of GAC, the rate of endoscopic recognition of gastric pre-cancerous lesions and adherence to surveillance recommendation are low. Substantial improvement is required in endoscopic training and awareness of guidelines recommendation in order to optimise detection and management of pre-malignant gastric conditions.

Effect of biopsy protocol adherence vs non-adherence on dysplasia detection rates in Barrett's esophagus surveillance endoscopies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background  Barrett's esophagus (BE) surveillance endoscopies are advised for early diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Current guidelines recommend obtaining four-quadrant random biopsies every 2 centimeters of BE length alongside with targeted biopsies if visible lesions are present. Low adherence rates for this random biopsy protocol are widely reported. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of adherence versus non-adherence to the four-quadrant biopsy protocol on detection of dysplasia in BE patients. Methods  We searched for studies that reported effects of adherence and non-adherence to the four-quadrant biopsy protocol on dysplasia detection rates in BE patients. Adherence was defined as taking a minimum of 4 quadrant random biopsies per 2 cm of BE segment. Studies with low risk of bias and without applicability concerns were included in a good quality synthesis. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of dysplasia detection rates were calculated. Results  A total of 1,570 studies were screened and 8 studies were included. Four studies were included in the good quality synthesis. In the pooled good quality analysis, four-quadrant biopsy protocol adherence significantly increased detection of dysplasia compared to non-adherence (RR 1.90, 95 % CI = 1.36-2.64; I2 = 45 %). Pooled RRs for LGD and HGD/EAC were 2.00 (95 % CI = 1.49-2.69; I2 = 0 %) and 2.03 (95 % CI = 0.98-4.24; I2 = 28 %), respectively. Conclusion  This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates that four-quadrant biopsy protocol adherence is associated with increased detection of dysplasia in BE patients. Efforts should be made to increase biopsy protocol adherence rates.

Preoperative biliary drainage in severely jaundiced patients with pancreatic head cancer: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Guidelines recommend against preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) in patients with pancreatic head cancer if bilirubin levels are <250 μmol/l. However, patients with higher bilirubin levels undergo PBD, despite the lack of supporting evidence. This study aims to evaluate outcomes in patients with a bilirubin level ≥250 and < 250.

METHODS

Patients were identified from databases of 3 centers. Outcomes were compared in patients with a bilirubin level ≥250 versus <250 both at the time of diagnosis and directly prior to surgery.

RESULTS

244 patients were included. PBD was performed in 64% (123/191) with bilirubin <250 at diagnosis and 91% (48/53) with bilirubin ≥250. PBD technical success (83% vs. 81%, p = 0.80) and PBD related complications (33% vs. 29%, p = 0.60) did not differ between these groups. Analyzing bilirubin levels ≥250 versus <250 directly prior to surgery, no differences in severe postoperative complications and mortality were found.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with a pancreatic head cancer, PBD technical success and complications, and severe postoperative complications did not differ between patients with a bilirubin level ≥250 and < 250. Our study does not support a different approach regarding PBD in patients with severe jaundice.

Deep-Learning System Detects Neoplasia in Patients With Barrett's Esophagus With Higher Accuracy Than Endoscopists in a Multistep Training and Validation Study With Benchmarking

BACKGROUND & AIMS

We aimed to develop and validate a deep-learning computer-aided detection (CAD) system, suitable for use in real time in clinical practice, to improve endoscopic detection of early neoplasia in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE).

METHODS

We developed a hybrid ResNet-UNet model CAD system using 5 independent endoscopy data sets. We performed pretraining using 494,364 labeled endoscopic images collected from all intestinal segments. Then, we used 1704 unique esophageal high-resolution images of rigorously confirmed early-stage neoplasia in BE and nondysplastic BE, derived from 669 patients. System performance was assessed by using data sets 4 and 5. Data set 5 was also scored by 53 general endoscopists with a wide range of experience from 4 countries to benchmark CAD system performance. Coupled with histopathology findings, scoring of images that contained early-stage neoplasia in data sets 2-5 were delineated in detail for neoplasm position and extent by multiple experts whose evaluations served as the ground truth for segmentation.

RESULTS

The CAD system classified images as containing neoplasms or nondysplastic BE with 89% accuracy, 90% sensitivity, and 88% specificity (data set 4, 80 patients and images). In data set 5 (80 patients and images) values for the CAD system vs those of the general endoscopists were 88% vs 73% accuracy, 93% vs 72% sensitivity, and 83% vs 74% specificity. The CAD system achieved higher accuracy than any of the individual 53 nonexpert endoscopists, with comparable delineation performance. CAD delineations of the area of neoplasm overlapped with those from the BE experts in all detected neoplasia in data sets 4 and 5. The CAD system identified the optimal site for biopsy of detected neoplasia in 97% and 92% of cases (data sets 4 and 5, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

We developed, validated, and benchmarked a deep-learning computer-aided system for primary detection of neoplasia in patients with BE. The system detected neoplasia with high accuracy and near-perfect delineation performance. The Netherlands National Trials Registry, Number: NTR7072.

Nitrous oxide cryotherapy for treatment of esophageal squamous cell neoplasia: initial multicenter international experience with a novel portable cryoballoon ablation system (with video)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Early esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN) can be successfully treated by EMR, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), or radiofrequency ablation. A new portable, battery-powered cryotherapy system using nitrous oxide (cryoballoon focal ablation system [CbFAS]) has been used for Barrett's esophagus. It consists of a small hand-held device containing liquid nitrous oxide, which converts to gas within a low-pressure-compliant through-the-scope balloon and freezes targeted mucosa in contact with the balloon. This study evaluated the feasibility of endoscopic eradication of early ESCN with the CbFAS.

METHODS

Patients with early ESCN (defined as low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia [LGIN], high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia [HGIN], or early T1 squamous mucosal cancer) were treated with the CbFAS. After chromoendoscopy, all Lugol's unstained lesions (USLs) were targeted with 8, 10, or 12 seconds of ice per site, and treatment was repeated until biopsy samples demonstrated eradication of ESCN. Postprocedure adverse events were recorded.

RESULTS

Ten patients (4 men; median age, 69.5 years) with LGIN (n=2), HGIN (n=7), or esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC; n=1, after EMR) in 24 USLs were treated. The median maximum diameter of the largest USL was 1.5 cm (interquartile range, 1-2 cm), and median total length of all neoplastic USLs was 2 cm (range, 1-10 cm). Patients with focal disease received a median of 2 cryoablations, whereas 4 patients with large and/or multifocal circumferential neoplasia had 6 to 12 ablations per procedure. The median procedure time was 34 minutes (range, 18-57 minutes). Treatment was completed in all patients. No major adverse events occurred. Four patients developed mild self-limited chest pain requiring narcotic analgesics immediately after the procedure. Two patients who received circumferential ablation developed a stricture responding to dilation, with no recurrence. Complete endoscopic and pathologic response was achieved in all patients at 3 months. One year follow-up biopsy specimens in 7 patients showed no USL or ESCN. All patients were disease free at last visit, with a median follow-up time of 10.7 months (interquartile range, 4-14 months).

CONCLUSIONS

We report the first application of nitrous cryoballoon ablation for curative treatment of early primary or recurrent ESCN. Our initial experience suggests that efficacy is high and the safety profile is reasonable. Prospective trials are needed to optimize cryogen dosimetry and assess safety and efficacy.

Endoscopic management of Barrett's esophagus: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Position Statement

Current practices for the management of Barrett's esophagus (BE) vary across Europe, as several national European guidelines exist. This Position Statement from the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) is an attempt to homogenize recommendations and, hence, patient management according to the best scientific evidence and other considerations (e.g. health policy). A Working Group developed consensus statements, using the existing national guidelines as a starting point and considering new evidence in the literature. The Position Statement wishes to contribute to a more cost-effective approach to the care of patients with BE by reducing the number of surveillance endoscopies for patients with a low risk of malignant progression and centralizing care in expert centers for those with high progression rates.Main statements MS1 The diagnosis of BE is made if the distal esophagus is lined with columnar epithelium with a minimum length of 1 cm (tongues or circular) containing specialized intestinal metaplasia at histopathological examination. MS2 The ESGE recommends varying surveillance intervals for different BE lengths. For patients with an irregular Z-line/columnar-lined esophagus of < 1 cm, no routine biopsies or endoscopic surveillance is advised. For BE ≥ 1 cm and < 3 cm, BE surveillance should be repeated every 5 years. For BE ≥ 3 cm and < 10 cm, the interval for endoscopic surveillance should be 3 years. Patients with BE with a maximum extent ≥ 10 cm should be referred to a BE expert center for surveillance endoscopies. Patients with limited life expectancy and advanced age should be discharged from endoscopic surveillance. MS3 The diagnosis of any degree of dysplasia (including "indefinite for dysplasia") in BE requires confirmation by an expert gastrointestinal pathologist. MS4 Patients with visible lesions in BE diagnosed as dysplasia or early cancer should be referred to a BE expert center. All visible abnormalities, regardless of the degree of dysplasia, should be removed by means of endoscopic resection techniques in order to obtain optimal histopathological staging MS5 All patients with a BE ≥ 10 cm, a confirmed diagnosis of low grade dysplasia, high grade dysplasia (HGD), or early cancer should be referred to a BE expert center for surveillance and/or treatment. BE expert centers should meet the following criteria: annual case load of ≥10 new patients undergoing endoscopic treatment for HGD or early carcinoma per BE expert endoscopist; endoscopic and histological care provided by endoscopists and pathologists who have followed additional training; at least 30 supervised endoscopic resection and 30 endoscopic ablation procedures to acquire competence in technical skills, management pathways, and complications; multidisciplinary meetings with gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncologists, and pathologists to discuss patients with Barrett's neoplasia; access to experienced esophageal surgery; and all BE patients registered prospectively in a database.

Thoracolaparoscopic dissection of esophageal lymph nodes without esophagectomy is feasible in human cadavers and safe in a porcine survival study

High-risk early esophageal adenocarcinoma (i.e. submucosal invasion >500 nm, poor differentiation, and/or presence of lymphovascular invasion) is currently treated with esophagectomy with lymph node (LN) dissection given the high rates of LN metastases. However, esophagectomy is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic radical resection followed by thoracolaparoscopic LN dissection without concomitant esophagectomy could be an alternative. The study aim was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of thoracolaparoscopic dissection of esophageal LNs in a preclinical setting. (i) In human cadavers, thoracolaparoscopic dissection of LNs involved in drainage of the esophagus was performed. Subsequently, esophagectomy was performed to be able to detect retained LNs. Outcome parameters included the number of dissected LNs, the number of retained LNs in the esophagectomy specimen (ES), and technical success. (ii) In swine, thoracolaparoscopic LN dissection was also performed. After the procedure, the swine survived for 28 days. Thereafter, the swine were sacrificed and esophagectomy was performed. Outcome parameters included the presence of ischemia and/or stenosis in the ES and other complications. (i) In five human cadavers, a median of 26 LNs (interquartile range 22-46) were dissected. In two ES, one retained LN was found: one high paraesophageal, one low paraesophageal. Technical success rate was 100%. (ii) None of the seven porcine ES showed signs of ischemia or stenosis. One swine died because of ventricular fibrillation during surgery; during follow up no complications were observed. Thoracolaparoscopic dissection of LNs involved in the drainage of the esophagus is feasible in human cadavers and swine. The porcine survival study suggests that the esophageal vascularity is not severely compromised by the procedure. As anatomy differs between swine and humans, safety of the procedure will have to be investigated thoroughly before applying this new technique as the treatment of choice.

Management of patients with T1b esophageal adenocarcinoma: a retrospective cohort study on patient management and risk of metastatic disease

BACKGROUND

Esophagectomy for submucosal (T1b) esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is performed in order to optimize patient outcomes given the risk of concurrent lymph node metastases (LNM). However, not seldom, comorbidity precludes these patients from surgery. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the course of follow-up after treatment in submucosal EAC patients undergoing surgery versus conservative therapy and to evaluate the incidence of metastatic disease.

METHODS

Between 2001 and 2012, all patients undergoing diagnostic endoscopic resection for EAC in two centers were reviewed. Only patients with histopathologically proven submucosal tumor invasion were included. Submucosal EACs were divided into tumors that were removed radically (R0) and irradically (R1). Subsequently, in the R0 group, EACs were classified as either low risk (LR; submucosal invasion <500 nm, G1-G2, no LVI) or high risk (HR; deep submucosal invasion >500 nm, G3-G4 and/or LVI). Metastatic disease was defined as LNM in surgical resection specimen and/or evidence of malignant disease during follow-up (FU).

RESULTS

Sixty-nine patients with a submucosal EAC were included [23 R1-resections and 46 R0-resection (14 R0-LR and 32 R0-HR)]. Twenty-six patients underwent surgical treatment (1 R0-LR, 12 R0-HR and 13 R1). None of the 14 R0-LR patients developed metastatic disease after a median FU of 60 months. In the R0-HR group and R1 group, metastatic disease was diagnosed in 16 and 30 % of patients, respectively. Surgical patients tended to have a better overall survival than non-surgical patients (p = 0.09). Tumor-related deaths, however, were 12 % in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In LR submucosal EAC, the risk of metastatic disease appears to be very low. In deep submucosal EAC (either R0- or R1-resection), the rate of metastatic disease is lower than reported in earlier surgical series. Given the reasonable disease-free survival and high background mortality, conservative management of these patients seems to be a valid alternative for surgery in selected cases.

[Preliminary study on efficacy of radiofrequency ablation combined with endoscopic resection for eradicating widespread early non-flat type esophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation(RFA) combined with endoscopic resection(ER) for eradicating widespread early non-flat type esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and precancerous lesions.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 4 patients with early non-flat type ESCC and precancerous lesions in January 2010 at the Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Proportion of patients with histological complete response (CR) 3 months, 12 months to 5 years after operation and adverse events were observed.

RESULTS

These 4 patients were all male, aged from 47 to 71 (mean age 62) years, including 2 of ESCC, 1 of HGIN, 1 of MGIN confirmed by pathology. USL length was 6-12 (mean 8.5) cm. Treatment area (TA) length was 8-14 (mean 10.5) cm. Three cases were 0-II a (mean length 2 cm), and 1 case 0-II c (mean length 4 cm). Lesions of 2 cases were complete cycle, and other 2 cases occupied 3/4 circumference. Four patients completed their operations successfully. Total operation time was 42-105 (mean 66.8) min, RFA time was 3-12 (mean 8.25) min, and ER time was 6-20 (10.25) min, without bleeding and perforation. The mean hospital stay was 3 days. Pathology examination showed that 2 cases were ESCC G2 (lesion length 12, 8 cm; non-flat type lesion length 3, 4 cm), 1 was HGIN (lesion length 12 cm; non-flat type lesion length 1 cm) and 1 was MGIN (lesion length 6 cm; non-flat type lesion length 2 cm). Three cases were CR 3 months, 1 to 5 years after operation. One case had HGIN at 3-month and MGIN at 1-year and 3-year during follow up, and was CR after treatment with HALO. Postoperative esophageal stenosis occurred in 4 cases. Among them, 2 cases were mild without treatment, and 2 were severe, who were relieved by endoscopic water sac dilation for 5-8 (mean 6.5) times.

CONCLUSION

RFA combined with ER is effective and safe in the treatment of patients with early non-flat esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous lesions.

Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation for early esophageal squamous cell neoplasia: report of safety and effectiveness from a large prospective trial

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an established therapy for Barrett's esophagus. Preliminary reports, limited by low patient numbers, also suggest a possible role for RFA in early esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of RFA for early ESCN (moderate/high grade intraepithelial neoplasia [MGIN/HGIN] and early flat-type esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [ESCC]).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective cohort study included patients with at least one flat (type 0-IIb) unstained lesion (USL) on Lugol's chromoendoscopy and a consensus diagnosis of MGIN, HGIN, or early ESCC. RFA was used at baseline to treat all USLs, and then biopsy (and focal RFA if USL persisted) was performed every 3 months until all biopsies were negative for MGIN, HGIN, and ESCC. The main outcome measurements were complete response at 3 and 12 months (absence of MGIN, HGIN, and ESCC), neoplastic progression, and adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 96 patients participated (MGIN 45, HGIN 42, early ESCC 9). At 3 and 12 months, 73 % (70/96) and 84 % (81/96), respectively, showed a complete response. Two patients (2 %) progressed (MGIN to HGIN; HGIN to T1m2 ESCC); both were treated endoscopically and achieved complete response. Stricture occurred in 20 patients (21 %), all after circumferential RFA. Lugol's + RFA 12 J/cm(2) (single application, no cleaning) was the favored baseline circumferential RFA technique (82 % 12-month complete response [14/17], 6 % stricture [6/17]).

CONCLUSION

In patients with early ESCN, RFA was associated with a high complete response rate and an acceptable safety profile.

Efficacy of endoscopic closure of acute perforations of the gastrointestinal tract

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Acute perforations of the gastrointestinal tract are rare, severe complications of endoscopy that usually require surgical repair. Endoscopic repair of perforations would reduce the need for surgeries; we evaluated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic closure of acute perforations of the gastrointestinal tract by using a new clip device.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, international, multicenter study of 36 consecutive patients (15 male) with acute iatrogenic perforations (5 esophageal, 6 gastric, 12 duodenal, and 13 colonic perforation). Endoscopic repair was performed by using the Over-the-Scope-Clip according to a standardized operating procedure. Primary end point was successful closure, which was determined as endoscopic successful closure without leakage (detected by water-soluble contrast x-ray analysis), and absence of adverse events within 30 days after the procedure.

RESULTS

Immediate closure was endoscopically successful in 33 patients (92%). One patient developed an esophageal perforation while the cap was introduced, and in 2 patients the perforations did not close; these 3 patients were successfully treated with surgery. None of the patients had leakage of soluble contrast on the basis of contrast x-ray. One patient with a closed colonic perforation deteriorated clinically within 6 hours after the procedure. Despite surgery, the patient died within 36 hours. The remaining 32 patients had successful endoluminal closures; the overall success rate was 89% (95% confidence interval, 75%-96%). The mean endoscopic closure time was 5 minutes 44 seconds ± 4 minutes 15 seconds.

CONCLUSIONS

The Over-the-Scope-Clip is effective for endoluminal closure of acute iatrogenic perforations. It allows patients to avoid surgery, and 89% of patients had successful closures without adverse events.