Endoscopy 2009; 41(9): 746-750
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1215010
Original article

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Indications for the use of endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer in Japan: a comparative study with endoscopic submucosal dissection

S.  Nakamoto1 , Y.  Sakai1 , J.  Kasanuki2 , F.  Kondo3 , Y.  Ooka1 , K.  Kato2 , M.  Arai1 , T.  Suzuki1 , T.  Matsumura1 , D.  Bekku1 , K.  Ito1 , T.  Tanaka1 , O.  Yokosuka1
  • 1Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
  • 2Endoscopy Center, Social Insurance Funabashi Central Hospital, Funabashi, Japan
  • 3Department of Pathology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

submitted 23 August 2008

accepted after revision 7 July 2009

Publication Date:
13 August 2009 (online)

Background and study aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been reported to produce excellent treatment results for early gastric cancer. In terms of lesions that previously met the criteria for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), there is now controversy about which of the two methods is superior, and whether the two methods are comparable.

Patients and methods: A total of 177 patients (202 lesions) with early gastric cancer who met the guidelines for EMR and who underwent either EMR or ESD were studied. The rates of en bloc resection, complete resection, local recurrence, and complications were compared between EMR and ESD.

Results: The overall en bloc and complete resection rates were lower in patients undergoing EMR than in those undergoing ESD (en bloc: 53.8 % vs. 94.3 %, P < 0.001; complete: 37.5 % vs. 92.6 %, P < 0.001). The overall 5-year recurrence-free rate was lower in the EMR group than in the ESD group (82.5 % vs. 100 %; P < 0.001). However, with regard to the tumor size, the two groups did not differ in en bloc (P = 1.0) or complete resection rate (P = 0.8) for tumors ≤ 5 mm and in 5-year recurrence-free rate (P = 0.19) for tumors ≤ 10 mm. The mean time required for resection was longer for ESD than for EMR (P < 0.001). Perforation and bleeding requiring blood transfusion occurred in a small percentage in the ESD group, but in none in the EMR group.

Conclusion: In this study, EMR was comparable to ESD for the millimeter-sized lesions. We suggest that such small lesions might be well suited to treatment with EMR.

References

  • 1 Hirao M, Masuda K, Asanuma T. et al . Endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer and other tumors with local injection of hypertonic saline-epinephrine.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1988;  34 264-269
  • 2 Inoue H, Takeshita K, Hori H. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection with a cap-fitted panendoscope for esophagus, stomach, and colon mucosal lesions.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1993;  39 58-62
  • 3 Tada M, Murakami A, Karita M. et al . Endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer.  Endoscopy. 1993;  25 445-450
  • 4 Torii A, Sakai M, Kajiyama T. et al . Endoscopic aspiration mucosectomy as curative endoscopic surgery; analysis of 24 cases of early gastric cancer.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1995;  42 475-479
  • 5 Tanabe S, Koizumi W, Kokutou M. et al . Usefulness of endoscopic aspiration mucosectomy as compared with strip biopsy for the treatment of gastric mucosal cancer.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1999;  50 819-822
  • 6 Suzuki Y, Hiraishi H, Kanke K. et al . Treatment of gastric tumors by endoscopic mucosal resection with a ligating device.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1999;  49 192-199
  • 7 Ono H, Kondo H, Gotoda T. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection for treatment of early gastric cancer.  Gut. 2001;  48 225-229
  • 8 Sano T, Kobori O, Muto T. Lymph node metastasis from early gastric cancer: endoscopic resection of tumour.  Br J Surg. 1992;  79 241-244
  • 9 Yamao T, Shirao K, Ono H. et al . Risk factors for lymph node metastasis from intramucosal gastric carcinoma.  Cancer. 1996;  77 602-606
  • 10 Kojima T, Parra-Blanco A, Takahashi H, Fujita R. Outcome of endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer: review of the Japanese literature.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1998;  48 550-554; discussion 554 – 555
  • 11 Tsujitani S, Oka S, Saito H. et al . Less invasive surgery for early gastric cancer based on the low probability of lymph node metastasis.  Surgery. 1999;  125 148-154
  • 12 Shimada Y. JGCA (The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association). Gastric cancer treatment guidelines.  Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2004;  34 58
  • 13 Ohkuwa M, Hosokawa K, Boku N. et al . New endoscopic treatment for intramucosal gastric tumors using an insulated-tip diathermic knife.  Endoscopy. 2001;  33 221-226
  • 14 Gotoda T, Kondo H, Ono H. et al . Result of an endoscopic mucosal resection demonstrated at the International Gastric Cancer Congress in New York.  Gastric Cancer. 2002;  5 183-184
  • 15 Miyamoto S, Muto M, Hamamoto Y. et al . A new technique for endoscopic mucosal resection with an insulated-tip electrosurgical knife improves the completeness of resection of intramucosal gastric neoplasms.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2002;  55 576-581
  • 16 Yahagi N, Omata M. Trends in widening application of gastroscopic mucosal resection for early-stage stomach neoplasms.  Nippon Naika Gakkai Zasshi. 2003;  92 29-35
  • 17 Hirasaki S, Tanimizu M, Moriwaki T. et al . Efficacy of clinical pathway for the management of mucosal gastric carcinoma treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection using an insulated-tip diathermic knife.  Intern Med. 2004;  43 1120-1125
  • 18 Muto M, Miyamoto S, Hosokawa A. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection in the stomach using the insulated-tip needle-knife.  Endoscopy. 2005;  37 178-182
  • 19 Gotoda T, Yanagisawa A, Sasako M. et al . Incidence of lymph node metastasis from early gastric cancer: estimation with a large number of cases at two large centers.  Gastric Cancer. 2000;  3 219-225
  • 20 Watanabe K, Ogata S, Kawazoe S. et al . Clinical outcomes of EMR for gastric tumors: historical pilot evaluation between endoscopic submucosal dissection and conventional mucosal resection.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2006;  63 776-782
  • 21 Oka S, Tanaka S, Kaneko I. et al . Advantage of endoscopic submucosal dissection compared with EMR for early gastric cancer.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2006;  64 877-883
  • 22 Oda I, Saito D, Tada M. et al . A multicenter retrospective study of endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer.  Gastric Cancer. 2006;  9 262-270
  • 23 Lambert R. Treatment of early gastric cancer in the elderly: leave it, cut out, peel out?.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2005;  62 872-874
  • 24 Gotoda T. Endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer.  Gastric Cancer. 2007;  10 1-11
  • 25 Lee I L, Wu C S, Tung S Y. et al . Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancers: experience from a new endoscopic center in Taiwan.  J Clin Gastroenterol. 2008;  42 42-47
  • 26 Yamamoto H, Yube T, Isoda N. et al . A novel method of endoscopic mucosal resection using sodium hyaluronate.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1999;  50 251-256
  • 27 Japanese Gastric Cancer Association . Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma – 2nd English Edition.  Gastric Cancer. 1998;  1 10-24
  • 28 Yamaguchi Y, Katusmi N, Aoki K. et al . Resection area of 15 mm as dividing line for choosing strip biopsy or endoscopic submucosal dissection for mucosal gastric neoplasm.  J Clin Gastroenterol. 2007;  41 472-476
  • 29 Ono H. Early gastric cancer: diagnosis, pathology, treatment techniques and treatment outcomes.  Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006;  18 863-866
  • 30 Makuuchi H, Kise Y, Shimada H. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer.  Semin Surg Oncol. 1999;  17 108-116
  • 31 Yamamoto H, Kawata H, Sunada K. et al . Success rate of curative endoscopic mucosal resection with circumferential mucosal incision assisted by submucosal injection of sodium hyaluronate.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2002;  56 507-512

Y. SakaiMD, PhD 

Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology
Graduate School of Medicine
Chiba University

1-8-1 Inohana
Chiba-City 2608670
Japan

Fax: +81-43-2262088

Email: uzosakai@yahoo.co.jp

    >