Published online Sep 21, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i35.4077
Peer-review started: June 21, 2018
First decision: July 31, 2018
Revised: August 5, 2018
Accepted: August 24, 2018
Article in press: August 24, 2018
Published online: September 21, 2018
Processing time: 90 Days and 22.2 Hours
The endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early-stage gastric cancer is first-line endoscopic therapy in Japan, because of en bloc resection and a lower local recurrence rate of gastric cancer. However, ESD often causes development of adverse events, such as gastric bleeding and perforation. When ESD is performed for gastric cancer, poor visualization in the resection area during ESD procedure results in longer procedure times and their associated development of above adverse events. Now, the gold standardized method for resection by ESD for all of patients with early-stage gastric cancer and adenoma has not been established in point of continuous clear visualization in the resection area.
To keep clear visualization at early-phase after starting ESD procedure, endoscopists are required to create a mucosal flap. Of several traction systems to create mucosal flap, recently, the clip-flap method is focused, because of safety and correctly compared with other methods. However, it is unknown whether the clip-flap method is appropriate for patients with early-stage gastric tumors.
The main objective was to investigate prospectively the efficacy (the rate of en bloc resection and procedure time of ESD) and safety (gastric bleeding and perforation) of clip-flap assisted ESD for gastric cancer and adenoma.
We enrolled 104 patients with gastric cancer or adenoma scheduled for ESD. Inclusion criteria were age > 20 years and the diagnosis of gastric adenoma or clinical early-stage gastric cancer. Early-stage gastric cancers were clinically diagnosed using endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, histopathology, and computed tomography. We randomized patients into two subgroups using the minimization method based on location of the tumor, tumor size and ulcer status: ESD using an endoclip (the clip-flap group) and ESD without an endoclip (the conventional group). Therapeutic efficacy and safety were assessed.
No significant differences in en bloc resection rate (P = 1.00), curative endoscopic resection rate (P = 0.85), procedure time (P = 0.69), area of resected specimen (P = 0.49), delayed bleeding rate (P = 0.49), or perforation rate (P = 0.93) were found between the clip-flap group and the conventional group.
For patients with early-stage gastric cancer and adenoma, the clip-flap method has no advantage in efficacy or safety compared with the conventional method. Although operators scored superiority of the clip-flap method in 30% of ESD procedures, in 25% of cases the operators evaluated the clip-flap method as inferior, usually because the head of the endoclip interfered with the cutting edge, making ESD more difficult. Therefore, the best way to do this method is to property place the clip on the lesion.
Although the clip-flap method has been proven to be advantageous for patients with early-stage colorectal tumors compared with the conventional method, the superiority of clip-flap method-assisted ESD in the stomach is unproven. When considering clip-flap-assisted ESD, endoscopists should select patients, especially cases in which it is difficult to ensure a fine visualization, and should apply the endoclip carefully so that the head of the endoclip pushes downward.