Endoscopic mucosal resection for Barrett's neoplasia: Long-term outcomes from the largest Canadian single-center experience.

Abstract

Background and study aims: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) remains an important treatment for high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and early esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in Barrett's esophagus (BE). However, there are limited data regarding long-term recurrence rates. This study aimed to investigate the neoplasia recurrence rate following EMR with long-term follow-up.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study at a tertiary-referral center in Canada. Patients with Barrett's neoplasia (HGD/EAC) treated with EMR between January 2001 and December 2023 were included. The primary outcome was long-term neoplasia recurrence rate after complete remission of neoplasia (CRN). Secondary outcomes were residual/metachronous neoplasia rate at first follow-up, CRN rate, and long-term rate of patients successfully managed by endoscopy.

Results: A total of 552 patients (83.7% male, mean age 66.3 years) were included (HGD: 22.5%, EAC: 77.5%). After EMR, 475 patients were deemed to have had successful endoscopic resection (low lymph-node metastasis risk with tumor-free deep margin), 455 of whom underwent surveillance follow-up. At first follow-up, residual/metachronous neoplasia was observed in 20.9% (95/455), but 95.6% (435/455) eventually achieved CRN after undergoing a median of two EMR sessions (interquartile range: 1-4). As a primary outcome, the 5-year neoplasia recurrence rate was 10.5%, the 10-year rate was 21.6%, and the 15-year rate was 34.9%. During surveillance, neoplasia recurrence was observed in 38 patients, but 68.4% of them (26/38) were managed with endoscopic therapy. The overall rate of patients successfully managed by endoscopy was 93.0% (423/455).

Conclusions: While the success rate of EMR for BE is excellent, this study highlights substantial long-term risk of neoplastic recurrence, underscoring the need for indefinite surveillance for patients who had HGD or EAC.