ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been established as a treatment modality for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Long-term follow-up data are lacking in Western countries. The aim of this study was to analyze long-term survival in a Western center. @*Methods@#Patients undergoing ESD for ESCC were included. The analysis was performed retrospectively using a prospectively collected database. @*Results@#R0 resection rate was 96.7% (59/61 lesions in 58 patients). Twenty-seven patients (46.6%) fulfilled the curative resection criteria (M1/M2) (group A), 11 patients (19.0%) had M3 lesions without lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (group B), and 20 patients (34.5%) had lesions with submucosal invasion or LVI (group C). Additional treatment was recommended after non-curative resection. It was not performed in 20/31 patients (64.5%), mainly because of comorbidities (75%). Twenty-nine out of 58 (50.0%) patients died during a mean follow-up of 3.7 years. Death was related to ESCC in 17.2% (5/29) of patients. The disease-specific survival rate after curative resection was 100%. Overall survival rates after 5 years were 61.5%, 63.6% and 28.1% for groups A, B, and C, respectively. The overall survival was significantly worse after non-curative resection (p=0.038). @*Conclusions@#Non-curative resection is frequent after ESD for ESCC in Western patients. The long-term prognosis is limited and mainly determined by comorbidity. Early diagnosis and pre-interventional assessments need to be improved.
ABSTRACT
Barrett’s esophagus is associated with an increased risk of adenocarcinoma. Thorough screening during endoscopic surveillance is crucial to improve patient prognosis. Detecting and characterizing dysplastic or neoplastic Barrett’s esophagus during routine endoscopy are challenging, even for expert endoscopists. Artificial intelligence-based clinical decision support systems have been developed to provide additional assistance to physicians performing diagnostic and therapeutic gastrointestinal endoscopy. In this article, we review the current role of artificial intelligence in the management of Barrett’s esophagus and elaborate on potential artificial intelligence in the future.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveHealthcare workers (HCW) are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to exposure to potentially infectious material, especially during aerosol-generating procedures (AGP). We aimed to investigate the prevalence of infection among HCW in medical disciplines with AGP. DesignA nationwide questionnaire-based study in in- and outpatient settings was conducted between 12/16/2020 and 01/24/2021. Data on SARS-CoV-2 infections among HCW and potential risk factors were investigated. Results2,070 healthcare facilities with 25,113 employees were included in the study. Despite a higher rate of pre-interventional testing, clinics treated three times more confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases than private practices (28.8% vs. 88.4%, p<0.001). Overall infection rate among HCW accounted for 4.7%. Multivariate analysis revealed that ZIP-regions having comparably higher incidences were significantly associated with increased risk of infection. Furthermore, clinical setting and the GIE specialty have more than double the risk of infection (OR 2.63; 95% CI 2.501-2.817, p<0.01 and OR 2.35; 95% CI 2.245-2.498, p<0.01). The number of procedures performed per day was also significantly associated with an increased risk of infection (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.007-1.014), p<0.01). No treatment of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases was tending to lower the risk of infection (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.507-1.025, p=0.068). ConclusionHCW in GIE seem to be at higher risk of infection than those in other AGP, especially in the clinical setting. Regions having comparably higher incidences as well as the number of procedures performed per day were also significantly associated with increased risk of infection. Significance of this studyO_ST_ABSWhat is already known on this subject?C_ST_ABSHealth care workers, especially those exposed to aerosol generating procedures, are assumed to have an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, data confirming this are lacking, especially for the outpatient care setting. What are the new findings?Health care workers in gastrointestinal endoscopy have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2-infection than in other AGPs. This risk is particularly higher - in clinical settings compared to private practices - in regions having comparably higher incidences - the more procedures are performed per day How might it impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future?Our study suggests making additional efforts to protect HCW in the gastrointestinal work field.
ABSTRACT
Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a well-established method for the treatment of early-stage gastrointestinal neoplasms. Adequate submucosal exposure is one of the most significant factors related to an effective and safe dissection. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effcacy and safety of various methods that assist traction during ESD of precancerous and earlystage neoplastic lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. We performed an electronic search of the MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register databases for relevant studies published up to May 2019. Trials exclusively recruiting patients undergoing ESD for superficial gastrointestinal cancer were considered eligible for inclusion. Thirty-three articles including 3,134 patients met the inclusion criteria. The studies evaluated different approaches for widening the endoscopic view, including magnetic anchor-guided ESD (3 studies), use of a second endoscope (5 studies), clip-involving technique (21 studies), and miscellaneous methods (4 studies). Among them, only 6 were randomized controlled trials evaluating different approaches. Overall, the implementation of methods that assist traction during ESD significantly improved the operating time and R0 resection rate and decreased the rate of complications (bleeding and perforation). Interventions that assist traction seem effcacious in improving tissue traction, thus facilitating ESD performance.
