Clinical Outcomes of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Neoplasms: A Retrospective Single-Center Study in China

Aims. To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcomes for a large number of endoscopic submucosal dissections (ESDs) in early esophageal squamous cell neoplasms (ESCNs) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Patients and Methods. From January 2010 to February 2014, 296 patients (mean age 61.4 years, range 31-85 years; 202 men) with 307 early ESCNs (79 intramucosal invasive esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) and 228 high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) cases) were included from a total of 519 consecutive patients who were treated by esophageal ESD at our hospital. The primary end points of the study were rates of en bloc resection and complete resection. Secondary end points were complications, residual and recurrence rates, and mortality during follow-up. Results. The en bloc resection rate and complete resection rate were 93.5% and 78.2%, respectively. Complications included strictures (8.4%), perforations (1.0%), and bleedings (0.7%). Twenty-seven (9.1%) patients experienced residual and 18 (6.1%) patients experienced recurrence during a mean follow-up period of 30 months. Thirteen patients died from causes unrelated to ESCC, and no cancer-related death was observed. Conclusions. Our study showed that ESD is a successful and relatively safe treatment for intramucosal invasive ESCC and HGIN, fulfilling the criteria of lymph node negative tumors. This should encourage clinicians to select ESD performed by experienced operators as a potential or even preferred treatment option for lesions amenable to endoscopic treatment.