Clinical backgrounds and outcomes of patients with Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma treated via endoscopic submucosal dissection in Kyushu, Japan: A retrospective multicenter cohort study

Abstract

Objectives

Most esophageal cancers in Japan are squamous cell carcinomas; however, there has been some concern regarding a recent increase in Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma (BEA). This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients treated via endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Kyushu, including changes over time.

Methods

This multicenter, retrospective, observational study was conducted among 21 institutes situated in Kyushu. Data from patients who underwent ESD for BEA or esophageal squamous cell carcinoma between January 2010 and December 2023 were extracted from the pathology database and reviewed.

Results

The total number of esophageal ESD cases increased from 2299 over the first 7 years to 4009 over the second seven. The incidence of BEA increased from 3.6% (86/2299) over the earlier period to 4.7% (197/4009; p = 0.034) over the latter. We analyzed data from 283 patients (287 lesions). Smaller tumor-sized lesions were detected over the latter period (14.2 ± 11.6 vs. 11.2 ± 9.5 cm², p = 0.022), significantly reducing treatment times (122.1 ± 81.2 vs. 93.2 ± 53.3 min p < 0.001). The procedure was safe, with low incidence rates, over both the earlier and later periods (respectively), of perforation (0% vs. 1.0%), delayed bleeding (1.2% vs. 2.0%), and pneumonia (4.7% vs. 4.6%).

Conclusion

The proportion of esophageal ESD procedures to treat BEA has increased in Japan's Kyushu region. This procedure has a comparable safety profile to similar ESD procedures used to treat other conditions.