Long-term Outcome after Endoscopic Treatment for Early Gastric Cancer in Korea

ABSTRACT

The early diagnosis of gastric cancer allows patients and physicians to pursue the option of endoscopic resection, which is significantly less invasive than conventional surgical resection. Newly developed endoscopic technique and devices have helped to overcome the limitations of therapeutic endoscopy in terms of lesion size, location, and presence of fibrotic scarring. As a result, the indications for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) have been expanded from the classical indication for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), and there is now support for a further expansion of ESD indications. Long-term follow up data are needed for the clinical application of the expanded criteria of endoscopic treatment. In Korea, the use of endoscopic treatment has been increasing, and many reports on endoscopic treatment such as EMR or ESD have been published. This review was to elucidate the feasibility of the expanded guidelines, based on evidence from long-term outcome.