Published online May 15, 2014. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v5.i2.100
Revised: January 24, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: May 15, 2014
Processing time: 159 Days and 21.2 Hours
Early detection of early gastric cancer (EGC) is important to improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Recent advances in endoscopic modalities and treatment devices, such as image-enhanced endoscopy and high-frequency generators, may make endoscopic treatment, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection, a therapeutic option for gastric intraepithelial neoplasia. Consequently, short-term outcomes of endoscopic resection (ER) for EGC have improved. Therefore, surveillance with endoscopy after ER for EGC is becoming more important, but how to perform endoscopic surveillance after ER has not been established, even though the follow-up strategy for more advanced gastric cancer has been outlined. Therefore, a surveillance strategy for patients with EGC after ER is needed.
Core tip: Recent advances in endoscopic modalities and treatment devices may make endoscopic treatment, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection, a therapeutic option for early gastric cancer (EGC). Consequently, short-term outcomes of endoscopic resection (ER) for EGC have improved. Therefore, surveillance with endoscopy after ER for EGC is becoming more important, but how to perform endoscopic surveillance after ER has not been established, even though the follow-up strategy for more advanced gastric cancer has been outlined. In this review, we discuss clinical problems in surveillance after ER for EGC.