The safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal fenestration in the treatment of completely embedded upper gastrointestinal foreign body.

BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion is a common digestive tract emergency, of which completely embedded ones were challenging for most endoscopists. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal fenestration in the treatment of completely embedded upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies. METHODS: From December 2018 to December 2021, 19 patients with completely embedded upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies who underwent endoscopic submucosal fenestration in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were included. The safety, efficacy, and outcome were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 19 patients, 15 foreign bodies were embedded in the esophagus, 3 located in the gastric wall, and 1 located in the duodenal bulb. The foreign bodies were successfully managed in 12 cases, and 7 failed after attempts of repeated exploration. Two cases confirmed completely traversing into the mediastinum were successfully removed after transfer to surgery. One case had retrieval of a foreign body in a half-year examination. Till now, 3 failed patients had great relief of symptoms and only one patient claimed occasional thoracodynia. Of note, there were neither serious adverse events, nor long-term complications during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: In disposing of foreign bodies completely embedded in the upper gastrointestinal tract, ESF is a safe and effective alternative to surgery.

Chondroitin polymerizing factor promotes development and progression of colorectal cancer via facilitating transcription of VEGFB.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignancy affecting the digestive system on a global scale. This study aimed to explore the previously unexplored role of CHPF in the progression of CRC. Our results revealed a significant upregulation of CHPF expression in CRC tumour tissues compared to normal tissues, with its levels correlating with tumour malignancy. In vitro experiments using CRC cell lines demonstrated that inhibiting CHPF expression suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation and cell migration, while promoting apoptosis. Conversely, overexpressing CHPF had the opposite effect. Additionally, our xenograft models in mice confirmed the inhibitory impact of CHPF knockdown on CRC progression using various cell models. Mechanistic investigations unveiled that CHPF may enhance VEGFB expression through E2F1-mediated transcription. Functionally, suppressing VEGFB expression successfully mitigated the oncogenic effects induced by CHPF overexpression. Collectively, these findings suggest that CHPF may act as a tumour promoter in CRC, operating in a VEGFB-dependent manner and could be a potential target for therapeutic interventions in CRC treatment.

An Automated Video Analysis System for Retrospective Assessment and Real-Time Monitoring of Endoscopic Procedures (with Video).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Accurate recognition of endoscopic instruments facilitates quantitative evaluation and quality control of endoscopic procedures. However, no relevant research has been reported. In this study, we aimed to develop a computer-assisted system, EndoAdd, for automated endoscopic surgical video analysis based on our dataset of endoscopic instrument images. METHODS: Large training and validation datasets containing 45,143 images of 10 different endoscopic instruments and a test dataset of 18,375 images collected from several medical centers were used in this research. Annotated image frames were used to train the state-of-the-art object detection model, YOLO-v5, to identify the instruments. Based on the frame-level prediction results, we further developed a hidden Markov model to perform video analysis and generate heatmaps to summarize the videos. RESULTS: EndoAdd achieved high accuracy (>97%) on the test dataset for all 10 endoscopic instrument types. The mean average accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were 99.1%, 92.0%, 88.8%, and 89.3%, respectively. The area under the curve values exceeded 0.94 for all instrument types. Heatmaps of endoscopic procedures were generated for both retrospective and real-time analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed an automated endoscopic video analysis system, EndoAdd, which supports retrospective assessment and real-time monitoring. It can be used for data analysis and quality control of endoscopic procedures in clinical practice.

Clinical outcomes of endoscopic resection for the treatment of intermediate- or high-risk gastric small gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Many studies of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (g-GISTs) following endoscopic resection (ER) have typically focused on tumor size, with most tumors at low risk of aggressiveness after risk stratification. There have been few systematic studies on the oncologic outcomes of intermediate- or high-risk g-GISTs after ER. METHODS: From January 2014 to January 2020, we retrospectively collected patients considered at intermediate- or high-risk of g-GISTs according to the modified NIH consensus classification system. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Six hundred and seventy nine (679) consecutive patients were diagnosed with g-GISTs and treated by ER between January 2014 and January 2020 in three hospitals in Shanghai, China. 43 patients (20 males and 23 females) were confirmed at intermediate-or high-risk. The mean size of tumors was 2.23 ± 1.01 cm. The median follow-up period was 62.02 ± 15.34 months, with a range of 28 to 105 months. There were no recurrences or metastases, even among patients having R1 resections. The 5-year OS rate was 97.4% (42/43). CONCLUSION: ER for intermediate- or high-risk gastric small GISTs is a feasible and safe method, which allows for a wait-and-see approach before determining the necessity for imatinib adjuvant or surgical treatment. This approach to g-GISTs does require that patients undergo close follow-up.

Injectable temperature-sensitive hydrogel facilitating endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Purpose: Early gastrointestinal tumors can be removed by endoscopic procedures. Endoscopic mucosal dissection (ESD) requires submucosal fluid injection to provide mucosal elevation and prevent intraoperative perforation. However, the clinically applied normal saline mucosal elevation height is low for a short time, which often requires multiple intraoperative injections that increase the inconvenience and procedure time. In addition, recently researched submucosal injection materials (SIM) suffer from complex preparation, poor economy, and poor biocompatibility. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of SIM that can provide long, safe and effective mucosal elevation in support of the endoscopic procedures. Methods: The FS hydrogel is based on polyethylene-polypropylene glycol (F-127) mixed with sodium alginate (SA). The different physicochemical properties of FS hydrogels were characterized through various experiments. Afterward, various biosafety assessments were carried out. Finally, the performance of FS hydrogels was evaluated by in vitro submucosal injection and in vivo swine ESD. Results: The experimental results show that the FS hydrogel is liquid at room temperature, making it easy to inject, and when injected under the mucosa, it undergoes temperature-induced cross-linking, transforming from a liquid to a solid state to provide long-lasting mucosal augmentation. At the same time, the FS hydrogel exhibits controllable gelation, stability, and biocompatibility. The results of in vitro submucosal injections and in vivo ESD procedures showed that FS achieves high mucosal augmentation and provides good submucosal cushioning in the long term. Conclusion: In summary, the F-127/SA hydrogel is simple to synthesize, cost-effective, safe, easy to store, and able to assist ESD well from the perspective of practical clinical problems, indicating that the FS hydrogel can be an ideal potent submucosal injection substitution.

A scoring system to predict the technical difficulty of endoscopic resection for cardial submucosal tumors.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Endoscopic resection has been successfully used for the removal of digestive submucosal tumors (SMTs). However, the cardia has been considered a challenging location for endoscopic resection due to its narrow lumen and sharp angle. The objective of this study was to establish a clinical scoring model to grade the technical difficulty of endoscopic resection for cardial SMTs. METHODS: A total of 246 patients who suffered cardial SMTs and received endoscopic resection were included in this retrospective study. All of them were randomized into the training cohort (n = 123) or internal validation cohort (n = 123). Potential predictors were analyzed using univariate analysis. Then, covariates with P < 0.05 were selected for the multivariate logistic regression model. The ß coefficients from the logistic regression model were used to create a scoring system for technical difficulty prediction by rounding the score to the nearest integer of the absolute ß coefficient value. RESULTS: The clinical score consisted of the following factors: male gender (2 points), extraluminal growth (3 points), and maximum diameter ≥3 cm (3 points). The scoring model demonstrated good discriminatory power, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.860 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.763-0.958. The model also showed a good goodness of fit in the Hosmer-Lemeshow test (P = 0.979). In the training cohort, the probability of encountering technical difficulty in the easy (score = 0), intermediate (score = 1-3), difficult (score = 4-6), and very difficult (score >6) categories was 0, 6.8%, 33.3%, and 100.0%, respectively; similarly, in the validation cohort, it was 0, 5.6%, 22.2%, and 50.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This scoring system could serve as a valuable tool for clinicians in predicting the technical difficulty of endoscopic resection for cardial SMTs.

Identification and validation of UBE2B as a prognostic biomarker promoting the development of esophageal carcinomas.

Introduction: Ubiquitination is a crucial biological mechanism in humans, essential for regulating vital biological processes, and has been recognized as a promising focus for cancer therapy. Our objective in this research was to discover potential enzymes associated with ubiquitination that may serve as therapeutic targets for individuals with esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). Methods: To identify genes linked to the prognosis of ESCA, we examined mRNA sequencing data from patients with ESCA in the TCGA database. Further investigation into the role of the candidate gene in ESCA was conducted through bioinformatic analyses. Subsequently, we carried out biological assays to assess its impact on ESCA development. Results: Through univariate Cox regression analysis, we identified Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme E2 B (UBE2B) as a potential gene associated with the prognosis of ESCA. UBE2B exhibited significant upregulation and was found to be correlated with survival outcomes in ESCA as well as other cancer types. Additionally, UBE2B was observed to be involved in various biological pathways linked to the development of ESCA, including TNF-a signaling via NF-κB, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, inflammatory response, and hypoxia. Moreover, immune-related pathways like B cell activation (GO: 0042113), B cell receptor signaling pathway (GO: 0050853) and B cell mediated immunity (GO:0019724) were also involved. It was found that high expression of UBE2B was correlated with the increase of several kinds of T cells (CD8 T cells, Th1 cells) and macrophages, while effector memory T cell (Tem) and Th17 cells decreased. Furthermore, UBE2B showed potential as a prognostic biomarker for ESCA, displaying high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, proliferation and migration in ESCA cells were effectively suppressed when the expression of UBE2B was knocked down. Conclusions: To summarize, this study has made a discovery regarding the importance of gaining new insights into the role of UBE2B in ESCA. UBE2B might be an oncogene with good ability in predicting and diagnosing ESCA. Consequently, this discovery highlights the feasibility of targeting UBE2B as a viable approach for treating patients with ESCA.

Endoscopic resection for calcifying fibrous tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.

BACKGROUND: Calcifying fibrous tumors (CFTs) are rare mesenchymal lesions that can occur in various sites throughout the body, including the tubular gastrointestinal (GI) tract. AIM: To analyze the clinical findings of 36 patients with GI tract CFTs to provide guidance for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This retrospective study included 36 patients diagnosed with CFTs of the GI tract. We collected demographic and clinical information and conducted regular follow-ups to assess for local recurrence. RESULTS: The stomach was the most commonly involved site, accounting for 72.2% of the 36 CFTs. Endoscopic mucosal resection (n = 1, 2.8%), endoscopic submucosal dissection (n = 14, 38.9%), endoscopic full-thickness resection (n = 16, 44.4%), and submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (n = 5, 13.9%) were used to resect calcifying fibrous tumors. Overall, 34 (94.4%) CFTs underwent complete endoscopic resections with a mean procedure time of 39.8 ± 29.8 min. The average maximum diameter of the tumors was 10.6 ± 4.3 cm. No complications, such as bleeding or perforation, occurred during an average hospital stay of 2.9 ± 1.2 d. In addition, two patients developed new growth of CFTs near the primary tumor sites, and none of the patients developed distant metastases during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: GI tract CFTs are rare and typically benign tumors that can be effectively managed with endoscopic procedures.

Long-term outcomes of endoscopic resection for well-differentiated nonampullary duodenal neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Nonampullary duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (NAD-NETs) are rare with limited evidence regarding endoscopic treatment. The study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic resection of well-differentiated NAD-NETs and evaluate long-term outcomes, including local recurrence and metastasis. METHODS: A total of 78 patients with NAD-NETs who underwent endoscopic resection between January 2011 and August 2022 were included. The clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: En bloc resection was achieved for 74 of the tumors (94.9%) and R0 resection was obtained in 68 of the tumors (87.2%). Univariate analysis identified tumors in the second part of the duodenum, tumor size ≥ 10 mm and muscularis propria invasion as risk factors for non-curative resection. Two patients with R1 resection (vertical margin involvement) and two patients with lymphovascular invasion underwent additional surgery. Four patients experienced adverse events (5.1%), including two cases of delayed bleeding and two cases of perforation, all successfully managed conservatively. During a median follow-up period of 62.6 months, recurrence and lymph node metastasis were only detected in one patient with R1 resection 3 months after the original procedure. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic resection is safe and effective and provides a favorable long-term outcome for patients with well-differentiated NAD-NETs without regional lymph node or distant metastasis.

Endoscopic features and treatments of gastric cystica profunda.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cystica profunda (GCP) represents a rare condition characterized by cystic dilation of gastric glands within the mucosal and/or submucosal layers. GCP is often linked to, or may progress into, early gastric cancer (EGC). AIM: To provide a comprehensive evaluation of the endoscopic features of GCP while assessing the efficacy of endoscopic treatment, thereby offering guidance for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 104 patients with GCP who underwent endoscopic resection. Alongside demographic and clinical data, regular patient follow-ups were conducted to assess local recurrence. RESULTS: Among the 104 patients diagnosed with GCP who underwent endoscopic resection, 12.5% had a history of previous gastric procedures. The primary site predominantly affected was the cardia (38.5%, n = 40). GCP commonly exhibited intraluminal growth (99%), regular presentation (74.0%), and ulcerative mucosa (61.5%). The leading endoscopic feature was the mucosal lesion type (59.6%, n = 62). The average maximum diameter was 20.9 ± 15.3 mm, with mucosal involvement in 60.6% (n = 63). Procedures lasted 73.9 ± 57.5 min, achieving complete resection in 91.3% (n = 95). Recurrence (4.8%) was managed via either surgical intervention (n = 1) or through endoscopic resection (n = 4). Final pathology confirmed that 59.6% of GCP cases were associated with EGC. Univariate analysis indicated that elderly males were more susceptible to GCP associated with EGC. Conversely, multivariate analysis identified lesion morphology and endoscopic features as significant risk factors. Survival analysis demonstrated no statistically significant difference in recurrence between GCP with and without EGC (P = 0.72). CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that endoscopic resection might serve as an effective and minimally invasive treatment for GCP with or without EGC.

Expression of SOX4 Significantly Predicts the Risk of Lymph Node Metastasis for Patients With Early-Stage Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma stands as a notably aggressive malignancy within the digestive system. In cases of early esophageal cancer without lymph node metastasis, endoscopic surgical resection offers a viable alternative, often resulting in improved patient quality of life. However, the paucity of methods to preoperatively ascertain lymph node involvement complicates surgical planning. SOX4 gene was previously found to be highly associated with invasive metastasis in our work through single-cell RNA sequencing on 5 paired tumor/peritumor tissues. This research included the collection of 124 tissue samples from 106 patients (106 tumor and 18 lymph node specimens). Samples were methodically arranged into a tissue microarray and treated with immunohistochemical staining. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between them. In the univariate analysis, 3 factors were identified as statistically significant in relation to lymph node metastasis: T category (P = .014), vascular invasion (P < .001), and SOX4 intensity (P = .001). Additionally, when evaluating SOX4 intensity alongside other clinical indicators, SOX4 was shown to independently influence lymph node metastasis. Further, the multivariate analysis revealed that vascular invasion (P < .001) and SOX4 intensity (P = .003) were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, exhibiting hazard ratios of 10.174 and 7.142, respectively. The results of our study indicate that both SOX4 expression and vascular invasion serve as predictors of lymph node metastasis in patients diagnosed with category T1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, underscoring the potential utility of SOX4 in prognostic evaluations.

YY1: a key regulator inhibits gastric cancer ferroptosis and mediating apatinib-resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (GC) stands as a prevalent and deadly global malignancy. Despite its role as a preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, Apatinib's effectiveness is curtailed among GC patients exhibiting elevated YY1 expression. YY1's connection to adverse prognosis, drug resistance, and GC metastasis is established, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This study aims to unravel potential pathogenic pathways attributed to YY1. DESIGN: Utilizing bioinformatics analysis, we conducted differentially expressed genes, functional annotation, and pathway enrichment analyses, and further validation through cellular and animal experiments. RESULTS: Higher YY1 expression correlated with diminished postoperative progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates in TCGA analysis, identifying YY1 as an independent DSS indicator in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Notably, YY1 exhibited significantly elevated expression in tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Bioinformatics analysis revealed noteworthy differentially expressed genes (DEGs), transcriptional targets, factors, and co-expressed genes associated with YY1. LASSO Cox analysis unveiled Transferrin as a prospective pivotal protein regulated by YY1, with heightened expression linked to adverse DSS and PFS outcomes. YY1's role in governing the p53 signaling pathway and ferroptosis in GC cells was further elucidated. Moreover, YY1 overexpression dampened immune cell infiltration within GC tumors. Additionally, YY1 overexpression hindered GC cell ferroptosis and mediated Apatinib resistance via the p53 pathway. Remarkably, IFN-a demonstrated efficacy in reversing Apatinib resistance and immune suppression in GC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the pivotal role of YY1 in driving GC progression and influencing prognosis, thus pinpointing it as a promising therapeutic target to enhance patient outcomes.

New endoscopic closure technique, "internal traction-assisted suspended closure," for GI defect closure: a pilot study (with video).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: After endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR), reliable closure of the perforation is critical. However, it is technically difficult to close some defects by using metal clips alone or by purse-string suturing, which may lead to unreliable closure. Inspired by the process of pulling up the 2 ends of the incision in the surgical suture, we developed a new endoscopic closure technique, the "internal traction-assisted suspended closure" technique. This pilot study was performed as an initial evaluation of the feasibility and safety of this new endoscopic closure technique. METHODS: Data from patients in whom this suspended closure technique was used to close full-thickness defects after EFTR were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was successful closure rate. Secondary outcomes were closure time, length of postprocedural hospital stay, and incidence of postprocedural adverse events. Defect size and tumor characteristics were also analyzed. RESULTS: Eight patients who underwent the suspended closure technique after EFTR were included. All patients were successfully treated with the suspended closure technique, and no patient developed serious adverse events. The median length of the defect was 3.25 cm (range, 2.5-9.0) and the median width was 2.8 cm (range, 1.8-6.0). The median closing time was 13 minutes (range, 6-24). CONCLUSIONS: The internal traction-assisted suspended closure technique is a simple, reliable, and easy-to-use technique for large full-thickness defects after endoscopic resection.

Bridging polyp in an anastomosis resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

A 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for routine postoperative review of colon cancer. He underwent a colonoscopy, which showed a bridge-like polyp located 13 cm from the anal verge, with the base of the polyp located 1.5 cm above the anastomosis and the head of it located on the anastomosis and fusion growth with the anastomosiz. The patient accepted ESD to remove the lesion. During the ESD procedure, the basal of the polyp was incised using an insulated-tip knife, when the polyp tip located at the anastomosis was gradually dissected with a hook knife, severe fibrosis and three staples was found in the submucosal. We carefully separated the scar tissue and pulled out staples with hook knife in electrocision mode. Finally, we removed the lesion completely.

Automatically optimized radiomics modeling system for small gastric submucosal tumor (<2 cm) discrimination based on EUS images.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The clinical management of small gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs) (<2 cm) faces a non-negligible challenge because of the lack of guideline consensus and effective diagnostic tools. This article develops an automatically optimized radiomics modeling system (AORMS) based on EUS images to diagnose and evaluate SMTs. METHODS: A total of 205 patients with EUS images of small gastric SMTs (<2 cm) were retrospectively enrolled in the development phase of AORMS for the diagnosis and the risk stratification of GI stromal tumor (GIST). A total of 178 patients with images from different centers were prospectively enrolled in the independent testing phase. The performance of AORMS was compared to that of endoscopists in the development set and evaluated in the independent testing set. RESULTS: AORMS demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.762 for the diagnosis of GIST and 0.734 for the risk stratification of GIST, respectively. In the independent testing set, AORMS achieved an AUC of 0.770 and 0.750 for the diagnosis and risk stratification of small GISTs, respectively. In comparison, the AUCs of 5 experienced endoscopists ranged from 0.501 to 0.608 for diagnosing GIST and from 0.562 to 0.748 for risk stratification. AORMS outperformed experienced endoscopists by more than 20% in diagnosing GIST. CONCLUSIONS: AORMS implements automatic parameter selection, which enhances its robustness and clinical applicability. It has demonstrated good performance in the diagnosis and risk stratification of GISTs, which could aid endoscopists in the diagnosis of small gastric SMTs (<2 cm).

Feasibility and safety of endoscopic resection for the jejunoileal lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic resection (ER) for jejunoileal lesions (JILs) has been technically challenging. We aimed to characterize the clinicopathologic characteristics, feasibility, and safety of ER for JILs. METHOD: We retrospectively investigated 52 patients with JILs who underwent ER from January 2012 to February 2022. We collected and analyzed clinicopathological characteristics, procedure-related parameters, outcomes, and follow-up data. RESULTS: The mean age was 49.4 years. Of the 52 JILs, 33 ileal tumors within 20 cm from the ileocecal valve were resected with colonoscopy, while 19 tumors in the jejunum or the ileum over 20 cm from the ileocecal valve received enteroscopy resection. The mean procedure duration was 49.0 min. The en bloc resection and en bloc with R0 resection rates were 86.5% and 84.6%, respectively. Adverse events (AEs) included one (1.9%) major AE (delayed bleeding) and five (9.6%) minor AEs. During a median follow-up of 36.5 months, two patients had local recurrence (3.8%), while none had metastases. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 92.9% and 94.1%, respectively. Compared with the enteroscopy group, overall AEs were significantly lower in the colonoscopy group (P < 0.05), but no statistical differences were observed in RFS (P = 0.412) and DSS (P = 0.579). There were no significant differences in AEs, RFS, and DSS between the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and the endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) group. CONCLUSIONS: ER of JILs has favorable short-term and long-term outcomes. Both ESD and EMR can safely and effectively resect JILs in appropriately selected cases.

Validation and update of a clinical score model to predict technical difficulty of colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Zhongshan colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (CR-ESD) score model was proposed to grade the technical difficulty of CR-ESD. The objective of this study was to prospectively validate and update the score model. METHODS: A multicenter prospective cohort analysis of CR-ESD was conducted. Individual data on patients, lesions, and outcomes of CR-ESD were used to validate the original model and further refine the difficulty of the prediction model. Data were randomly divided into discovery and internal validation cohorts. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted on the discovery cohort to develop an updated risk-scoring system, which was then validated. RESULTS: Five hundred forty-eight patients with 565 colorectal lesions treated by ESD from 4 hospitals were included. In the prospective validation cohort, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the original model was .707. Six risk factors were identified and assigned point values: tumor size (2 points for 30-50 mm, 3 points for ≥50 mm), at least two-thirds circumference of the lesion (3 points), tumor location in the cecum (2 points) or flexure (2 points), laterally spreading tumor-nongranular lesions (1 point), preceding biopsy sampling (1 point), and NBI International Colorectal Endoscopic type 3 (3 points). The updated model had an area under the ROC curve of .738 in the discovery cohort and of .782 in the validation cohort. Cases were categorized into easy (score = 0-1), intermediate (score = 2-3), difficult (score = 4-6), and very difficult (score ≥7) groups. Satisfactory discrimination and calibration were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The original model achieved an acceptable level of prediction in the prospective cohort. The updated model exhibited superior performance and can be used in place of the previous version. (Clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR2100047087.).

Endoscopic resection of giant esophageal subepithelial lesions: experience from a large tertiary center.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Increased reports on endoscopic resection (ER) of esophageal giant subepithelial lesions (g-SELs) have emerged in recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, technical difficulty, and safety through our single-center experience. METHODS: Seventy-five patients with g-SELs undergoing endoscopic resection were included in the training set. Clinicopathologic features, procedure-related characteristics, postprocedural outcomes, and follow-up data were analyzed. A predictive nomogram model for procedural difficulty was proposed based on the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Internal and external validations were conducted to verify the model performance. RESULTS: The overall en bloc resection rate was 93.3%. Intraoperative and postoperative adverse events occurred in 7 (9.3%) and 13 (17.3%) patients, respectively. No recurrence or metastasis was observed. Thirty-two (42.7%) patients underwent a difficult procedure. Age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], .915; P = .004), maximal tumor diameter ≥8 cm (aOR, 9.896; P = .009), irregular shape (aOR, 4.081; P = .053), extraluminal growth pattern (aOR, 5.419; P = .011), and submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (aOR, .109; P = .042) were found to be statistically or clinically significant factors for predicting endoscopic resection difficulty, based on which a nomogram model was developed. Internal and external validations of the nomogram via receiver-operating characteristic curves and calibration curves achieved favorable results. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic resection serves as a promising therapeutic option for esophageal g-SELs. A younger patient age, large tumor size, irregular shape, and extraluminal growth may indicate increased endoscopic resection difficulty, whereas a submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection procedure tends to be of lower difficulty. Our nomogram model performs well for predicting endoscopic resection difficulty for esophageal g-SELs.