ABSTRACT
Objective:To evaluate the safety and long-term efficacy of endoscopic resection of gastric stromal tumors with a diameter of >2-4 cm.Methods:The clinical data of 307 patients, who underwent endoscopic or surgical resection and pathologically confirmed to be gastric stromal tumors with a diameter ≤4 cm in Fujian Provincial Hospital, Jinshan Branch of Fujian Provincial Hospital or Fujian Geriatric Hospital from January 2014 to December 2019, were collected. The propensity score matching (1∶1) was performed for the cases with the tumor size of >2-4 cm.Then the incidence of adverse events related to the operation and clinical outcomes were compared between 41 patients in the endoscopic group and 41 patients in the surgical group.Results:Compared with the surgical group, the median operation time in the endoscopic group was significantly shorter (58.0 min VS 108.0 min, Z=-4.789, P<0.001), and the median hospitalization cost was significantly lower (22.7 thousand yuan VS 42.0 thousand yuan, Z=-7.164, P<0.001). There were no significant differences in postoperative fasting time or postoperative hospitalization time between the two groups ( P>0.05). Complications occurred in 7 cases (17.1%) in the endoscopy group, including 5 cases of postoperative acute infection, 1 case of postoperative perforation, and 1 case of postoperative bleeding; all 9 cases (22.0%) in the surgical group developed postoperative acute infection. There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of complications between the two groups ( χ2=0.311, P=0.577). Tumors in both groups were completely removed with negative resection margins. The follow-up time of the endoscopy group was 34.3±15.6 months, and that of the surgical group was 42.2±20.2 months. No recurrence or distant metastasis was observed during the follow-up period in the two groups. Conclusion:Endoscopic resection of large gastric stromal tumor (range>2-4 cm) is safe and effective in the long term, which can be used as one of the methods for gastrointestinal stromal tumors.