Comparison of hemostatic ability between spray coagulation and forced coagulation modes in endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with early gastric neoplasms: a study protocol for multicenter randomized controlled trial (Spray-G trial).

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the standard treatment for early gastric neoplasms (EGN). Controlling intraoperative bleeding is crucial for ensuring safe and reliable procedures. ESD using the spray coagulation mode (SCM-ESD) has been developed to control bleeding more effectively than ESD using the conventional forced coagulation mode (FCM-ESD). This study aims to compare the hemostatic efficacies of SCM-ESD and FCM-ESD. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, parallel, randomized, open-label superiority trial will be conducted in five Japanese institutions. Patients with a preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal EGC will be randomized to undergo either SCM-ESD or FCM-ESD. The primary outcome measure is the completion of ESD with an electrosurgical knife alone, without the use of hemostatic forceps. Secondary outcomes include the number and duration of hemostasis using hemostatic forceps, procedure time, curability, and safety. A total of 130 patients will be enrolled in this study. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide evidence on the hemostatic efficacy of SCM-ESD compared with FCM-ESD in patients with intramucosal EGN, potentially improving the safety and reliability of ESD procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial has been registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registration (UMIN-CTR) as UMIN000040518. The reception number is R000054009.

A feces-filled non-inverted ileal pseudodiverticulum presenting as a pedunculated polyp successfully treated by traction-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection.

A 68-year-old man was referred to our hospital for endoscopic treatment of colon polyps detected at a local clinic. Colonoscopy revealed not only classical adenomatous polyps in the transverse and sigmoid colon but also an atypical pedunculated polyp in the terminal ileum with the head of the lesion moving back and forth through the ileocecal valve. Based on the endoscopic findings, the pedunculated polyp was diagnosed as a non-epithelial tumor of the ileum. However, traction-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed because of the high risk of intestinal intussusception or obstruction. Histopathological analysis of the resected specimen revealed that the pedunculated polyp was a non-inverted ileal pseudodiverticulum filled with feces. We report the first case of a feces-filled non-inverted pseudodiverticulum presenting as a pedunculated polyp successfully treated by traction-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Clip stopper closure method using a detachable snare in combination with ZEOCLIP for endoscopic submucosal dissection-induced mucosal defects.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is globally performed to treat early epithelial tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, but delayed perforation is a problematic procedure-related complication. To address this problem, closure of ESD-induced mucosal defects with a detachable snare has been reported. However, one problem is that this method usually requires some degree of skill and replacing a single-channel scope with a two-channel scope. We developed the clip stopper closure (CSC) method using a detachable snare in combination with the ZEOCLIP, which can be easily performed with a single-channel scope, for ESD-induced mucosal defects. Six consecutive cases were treated with this closure method for colonic ESD-induced mucosal defects. The median closure time was 12.5 (10-24) min, and the success rate of this procedure was 100%. Our CSC method was able to be performed in any part of the colon. In conclusion, the CSC method using a detachable snare in combination with the ZEOCLIP is a simple but promising closure technique for ESD-induced mucosal defects.

Randomized controlled trial comparing conventional and traction endoscopic submucosal dissection for early colon tumor (CONNECT-C trial).

OBJECTIVES: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a widely used treatment for early gastrointestinal cancer. However, colon ESD remains challenging. Previous studies on colon ESD using the traction method used a small sample, single-center design, providing insufficient evidence of this procedure's efficacy. We thus aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of the traction method in colon ESD in this multicenter randomized trial. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized, two-arm controlled trial at 10 facilities in Japan. A 1:1 allocation was conducted for the conventional ESD (C-ESD) and traction ESD (T-ESD) groups. The primary end-point was ESD procedure time. RESULTS: We included 128 C-ESD and 123 T-ESD cases from April 2020 to August 2021. The median procedure times for C-ESD and T-ESD were 61 (40-100) and 53 (40-76) min (P = 0.18), respectively, and no significant differences were observed between the groups. Subgroup analysis showed that the median procedure times for patients with a lesion diameter of ≥30 mm in the C-ESD and T-ESD groups were 89 (57-80) and 69 (50-104) min (P = 0.05), respectively, and for nonexpert operators were 81 (62-120) and 64 (52-109) min (P = 0.07), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The traction method did not contribute to a significantly shortened ESD procedure time. However, this method may be useful when the tumor diameter is large or if the procedure is conducted by nonexpert endoscopists.

Hair shaft miRNA-221 levels as a new tumor marker of malignant melanoma.

miRNA-221 (miR-221) is known to be abnormally expressed in many human cancers. The serum levels of miR-221 have been reported as a tumor marker for malignant melanoma (MM). We hypothesized that the hair shaft miR-221 levels may be increased in patients with MM. We therefore assessed the possibility that hair shaft miR-221 levels could be a marker for MM. The hair shaft miR-221 levels were significantly higher in patients with MM than controls. The rates of increased hair shaft miR-221 levels above the cut-off value were comparable to those of serum 5-S-CD, which is a tumor marker commonly used for MM. Measurements of the hair shaft miR-221 levels could have potential clinical value in the detection of MM. This is the first report investigating the hair shaft levels of an miRNA in patients with MM. Our investigations offer new insight into the relationship between miR-221 and MM, and may provide a new, non-invasive way to screen for melanoma.