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Purpose : The curative strategy for patients with esophageal cancer without distant metastases consists of esophagectomy with preceding chemo(radio)therapy (CRT). In 10–40% of patients treated with CRT, no viable tumor is detectable in the resection specimen (pathological complete response (pCR)). This study aims to define the clinical outcomes of patients with a pCR and to assess the accuracy of post-CRT FDG-PET/CT in the detection of a pCR. Methods: Four hundred sixty-three patients with cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction who underwent esophageal resection after CRT between 1994 and 2013 were included. Patients were categorized as pathological complete responders or noncomplete responders. Standardized uptake value (SUV) ratios of 135 post-CRT FDG-PET/CTs were calculated and compared with the pathological findings in the corresponding resection specimens. Results: Of the 463 included patients, 85 (18.4%) patients had a pCR. During follow-up, 25 (29.4%) of these 85 patients developed recurrent disease. Both 5-year disease-free survival (5y-DFS) and 5-year overall survival (5y-OS) were significantly higher in complete responders compared to noncomplete responders (5y-DFS 69.6% vs. 44.2%; P = 0.001 and 5y-OS 66.5% vs. 43.7%; P = 0.001). Not pCR, but only pN0 was identified as an independent predictor of (disease-free) survival. Conclusion: Patients with a pCR have a higher probability of survival compared to noncomplete responders. One third of patients with a pCR do develop recurrent disease, and pCR can therefore not be equated with cure. FDG-PET/CT was inaccurate to predict pCR and therefore cannot be used as a sole diagnostic tool to predict pCR after CRT for esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:  Artificial intelligence (AI) systems in endoscopy are predominantly developed and tested using high-quality imagery from expert centers. However, their performance may be different when applied in clinical practice, partly due to the diversity in post-processing enhancement settings used in endoscopy units. We evaluated the impact of post-processing enhancement settings on AI performance and tested specific data augmentation strategies to mitigate performance loss., Methods:  We used a computer-aided detection (CADe) system for Barrett's neoplasia (6223 images, 906 patients) and a computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system for colorectal polyps (3288 images, 969 patients), both trained on datasets acquired with Olympus equipment and with limited variability in enhancement settings. The CAD systems were then tested across a wide range of test sets, which comprised the same images, but displayed with different enhancement settings. Both CAD systems were then retrained using image enhancement-based data augmentation. The performance of the adjusted CAD systems was evaluated on the same test sets., Results:  Both systems displayed substantial performance variability over a range of enhancement settings (CADe: 83 %-92 % sensitivity, 84 %-91 % specificity; CADx: 78 %-85 % sensitivity, 45 %-63 % specificity). After retraining, variability in sensitivity and specificity was reduced to 2 % ( P  < 0.001) and 1 %, respectively ( P  = 0.003) for CADe, and 2 % ( P  = 0.03) and 8 %, respectively ( P  = 0.19) for CADx., Conclusion:  The performance of endoscopic AI systems can vary substantially depending on post-processing enhancement settings of the endoscopy unit. Specific data augmentation can mitigate this performance loss., Competing Interests: J.J.G.H.M Bergman has received financial support for IRB-approved research from Medtronic, Olympus, Castle Sciences, CDx Diagnostics, Cyted, Lucid, Fractyl Inc., Endogenex, Digma Medical, and Aqua Medical, and is a consultant for Olympus, Fractyl, and Endogenex. E. Dekker has received endoscopic equipment on loan from FujiFilm; a research grant from FujiFilm; honoraria for consultancy from Olympus, FujiFilm, Ambu, InterVenn, and Exact Sciences; speaker fees from Olympus, GI Supply, Norgine, IPSEN, PAION, and FujiFilm; and is a supervisory board member of the eNose Company. M. van der Vlugt has received an honorarium for educational courses from Tillotts. P.H.N. de With has received financial support for IRB-approved research from Olympus. The remaining authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Although endoscopic resection (ER) is recommended as first-choice treatment for early esophageal neoplasia, patients with esophageal varices are considered a high-risk group owing to an increased risk of bleeding. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ER in this specific patient category.We searched for studies reporting on clinical outcomes of ER in the presence of esophageal varices, irrespective of study design or follow-up time. End points included the incidence of prophylactic measures to reduce the risk of variceal hemorrhage, radical and curative resection rates, and adverse events.After screening 2371 studies, 42 studies (including our own unpublished cohort) with a total of 186 patients were included in this systematic review. Endoscopic band ligation (72/186; 39%) and endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (22/186; 12%) were the prophylactic measures most widely adopted to eradicate varices prior to ER. Other frequently described prophylactic measures included direct varix coagulation during ER (18/186; 10%) and the placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt prior to ER (9/186; 5%). While the radical and curative resection rates were high (86% and 72%, respectively), the periprocedural and delayed bleeding risks were reported to be relatively low (6% and 3%, respectively). In all studies, no procedure-related mortality was observed.ER appeared to be a safe and effective treatment option in selected patients with concurrent early esophageal neoplasia and esophageal varices, provided that a tailored approach of adequate prophylactic measures to prevent bleeding is applied., Competing Interests: C.N. Frederiks has received speaker fees from Pentax Medical. L.S. Boer is a consultant for Pentax Medical. J.J.G.H.M. Bergman is a consultant for Medtronic, Cook Medical, and Boston Scientific, and has received research funding from Pentax Medical, C2 Therapeutics, Medtronic, Aqua Medical, Olympus Endoscopy, and Fujifilm. R.E. Pouw is a consultant for MicroTech Endoscopy and Medtronic, and has received speaker fees from Pentax Medical. B.L.A.M. Weusten has received research funding from Pentax Medical, C2 Therapeutics, and Aqua Medical. B. Gloudemans and L. Alvarez Herrero declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background and Aims: Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) for Barrett's esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) aims to prevent progression to life-limiting cancer. However, HGD patients with a short life expectancy realize limited gains from this approach due to competing mortality. Clinicians are poorly equipped to counsel such patients, since little data describe survival in untreated HGD. We aimed to evaluate existing literature and describe a case-series of patients with untreated HGD., Methods: We systematically reviewed Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library, selecting studies describing the natural history of untreated HGD in BE. The primary outcomes were symptomatic esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and/or EAC-related death. Additionally, cases in whom HGD was left untreated were retrospectively identified in the Netherlands. We assessed the time until progression to clinically evident EAC., Results: A total of 3,229 studies were identified, of which 3 were included. In one study, progression from HGD to clinically evident EAC occurred in 4 subjects after median of 34 months. The remaining two cases progressed to clinically-evident EAC after 70 and 115 months. In our previously unreported case-series, 11 Dutch patients with flat HGD (n=3) or HGD in a visible abnormality (n=8) were included. Four of these 11 patients progressed to clinically-evident EAC after median 52 months (range 17-78 months)., Conclusion: The lag-time between the diagnosis of HGD and progression to clinically-evident EAC varied from 1.5 to 10 years. EET for BE with HGD in patients with less than 3 years of life expectancy seems unlikely to be beneficial. These results may guide management decisions for patients with BE. NL7039; CRD42022362088., (Copyright © 2025 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Duodenal Mucosal Resurfacing (DMR) is an endoscopic ablation technique aimed at improving glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although the exact underlying mechanism is still unclear, it is postulated that the DMR-induced improvements are the result of changes in the duodenal mucosa. For this reason, we assessed macroscopic and microscopic changes in the duodenal mucosa induced by DMR + GLP-1RA., Methods: We included 16 patients with T2DM using basal insulin that received a combination treatment of a single DMR and GLP-1RA. Endoscopic evaluation was performed before the DMR procedure and 3 month after, and duodenal biopsies were obtained. Histological evaluation was performed and L and K cell density was calculated. In addition, gene-expression analysis and Western blotting was performed., Results: Endoscopic evaluation at 3 month showed duodenal mucosa with a normal appearance. In line, microscopic histological evaluation showed no signs of villous atrophy or inflammation and unchanged L and K cell density. Unbiased transcriptome profiling and western blotting revealed that PDZK1 expression was higher in responders at baseline and after DMR. GATA6 expression was significantly increased in responders after DMR compared to non-responders., Conclusion: The absence of macroscopic and microscopic changes after 3 month suggest that improvements in glycemic parameters after DMR do not result from significant histological changes in duodenal mucosa. It is more likely that these improvements result from more subtle changes in enteroendocrine signaling. PDZK1 and GATA6 expression might play a role in DMR; this needs to be confirmed in pre-clinical studies., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interests: SM, OA, AB, EV, NS, NvG, ER and MN have no conflict of interest. JB received research support from Fractyl laboratories Inc. for IRB-based studies and received a consultancy fee for a single advisory board meeting of Fractyl in September 2019. M.N. is in the scientific board of Caelus Pharmaceuticals, the Netherlands., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant potential for enhancing quality of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, but the adoption of AI in clinical practice is hampered by the lack of rigorous standardisation and development methodology ensuring generalisability. The aim of the Quality Assessment of pre-clinical AI studies in Diagnostic Endoscopy (QUAIDE) Explanation and Checklist was to develop recommendations for standardised design and reporting of preclinical AI studies in GI endoscopy.The recommendations were developed based on a formal consensus approach with an international multidisciplinary panel of 32 experts among endoscopists and computer scientists. The Delphi methodology was employed to achieve consensus on statements, with a predetermined threshold of 80% agreement. A maximum three rounds of voting were permitted.Consensus was reached on 18 key recommendations, covering 6 key domains: data acquisition and annotation (6 statements), outcome reporting (3 statements), experimental setup and algorithm architecture (4 statements) and result presentation and interpretation (5 statements). QUAIDE provides recommendations on how to properly design (1. Methods, statements 1-14), present results (2. Results, statements 15-16) and integrate and interpret the obtained results (3. Discussion, statements 17-18).The QUAIDE framework offers practical guidance for authors, readers, editors and reviewers involved in AI preclinical studies in GI endoscopy, aiming at improving design and reporting, thereby promoting research standardisation and accelerating the translation of AI innovations into clinical practice., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Background and Aims: Studies have shown that hydrothermal duodenal mucosal ablation results in improved glycemic control. Recellularization via electroporation therapy (ReCET) is a novel endoscopic procedure that uses electroporation to induce cellular apoptosis and subsequent reepithelization. In this study, we aimed to eliminate exogenous insulin treatment in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients through a single ReCET procedure combined with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. Feasibility, safety, and (dose) efficacy of ReCET were assessed., Methods: This first-in-human study included patients with T2D on basal insulin (age, 28-75 years; body mass index, 24-40 kg/m 2 ; glycosylated hemoglobin, ≤64 mmol/mol; C-peptide, ≥0.2 nmol/L). The electroporation dose was optimized during the study, starting with single 600 V and ending with double 750 V treatments. All patients underwent ReCET, after which insulin was discontinued and semaglutide (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) was initiated. The primary endpoints were feasibility (procedure time [from catheter in to catheter out], technical success rate), safety, and efficacy (patients off insulin at 6 months; HbA1c, ≤58 mmol/mol)., Results: Fourteen patients underwent endoscopic ReCET. The median procedure time was 58 (interquartile range, 49-73) minutes. ReCET demonstrated a technical success rate of 100%. No device-related severe adverse events or severe hypoglycemic events were observed. At the 12-month follow-up, 12 (86%) patients remained off exogenous insulin therapy, with significant improvements in glycemic control and metabolic parameters. The 2 patients in whom insulin therapy was reintroduced both received ReCET at the lowest voltage (single 600 V)., Conclusion: These results suggest that ReCET is feasible and safe. In combination with semaglutide, ReCET may be a promising therapeutic option to replace insulin therapy in selected T2D patients while improving glycemic control and metabolic health., Competing Interests: Disclosure The following authors disclosed financial relationships: M. Nieuwdorp: Personal Vici grant 2020 (0915082010020) from ZonMw-Vici and cofounder and member of the scientific advisory board of Caelus Pharmaceuticals, The Netherlands. J. Bergman: Research support from Fractyl Health, Endogenex, and Digma Medical and consultancy fees from Endogenex and Digma Medical. Amsterdam University Medical Centers received an unrestricted research grant from Endogenex. Endogenex funded the trial and provided the catheters, but had no say in data analyses and writing of the manuscript., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background and Aims: The duodenum has been shown to play a key role in glucose homeostasis. Duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) is an endoscopic procedure for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in which the duodenal mucosa is hydrothermally ablated. DMR improves glycemic control, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report changes in glucoregulatory hormones and indices of insulin sensitivity and beta cell function after DMR., Methods: We included 28 patients on noninsulin glucose-lowering medications who underwent open-label DMR and a mixed meal test (MMT) in Revita-1 or Revita-2 studies. Inclusion criteria were a hemoglobin A1c from 7.6% to 10.4% and a body mass index of 24 to 40 kg/m 2 . Baseline and 3-month MMT data included plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) concentrations. Glucoregulatory hormones, insulin sensitivity indices (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR], Matsuda index [MI], and hepatic insulin resistance) and beta cell function (insulinogenic index, disposition index [DI], and insulin secretion rate [ISR]) were assessed., Results: Fasting insulin, glucagon, and C-peptide decreased significantly. Insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR, MI, and hepatic insulin resistance) and beta cell function (DI and ISR) all improved significantly. Declines in postprandial glucose, mainly driven by a decrease in fasting levels, and in postprandial glucagon were observed, whereas GLP-1 and GIP did not change., Conclusions: Insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion improved 3 months after DMR. It is unlikely that incretin changes are responsible for improved glucose control after DMR. These data add to the growing evidence validating the duodenum as a therapeutic target for patients with T2D. (Clinical trial registration numbers: NCT02413567 and NCT03653091.)., Competing Interests: Disclosure The following authors disclosed financial relationships: A. Gastaldelli: Consultant for Eli Lilly and Fractyl Health Inc.; speaker for Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk; advisory boards for Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Metadeq, and Pfizer; research support from Eli Lilly; advisory board and paid chair in symposia at MSD-Merck; grant review panel for Pfizer. R. DeFronzo: Advisory board for AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Intarcia, Renalytix, and Corcept Therapeutics; research support from Boehringer-Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, and Merck; speaker for AstraZeneca. G. Mingrone: Consultant for Novo Nordisk, Fractyl, and Recor; scientific advisor for Metadeq, Keyron, GHP Scientific, and Jemyll. M. Hagen, K. White, H. Rajagopalan: Employees and shareholders of Fractyl Health Inc. M. Nieuwdorp: Research support from ZONMW-VICI; J. J. G. H. M. Bergman: Research support from Fractyl Health Inc., Endogenex, and Digma Medical; consultant for Fractyl Health Inc., and Endogenex. All other authors disclosed no financial relationships., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background:  This study evaluated the proportion of patients with residual neoplasia after endoscopic resection (ER) for Barrett's neoplasia with confirmed tumor-positive vertical resection margin (R1v)., Methods:  This retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing ER for Barrett's neoplasia with histologically documented R1v since 2008 in the Dutch Barrett Expert Centers. We defined R1v as cancer cells touching vertical resection margins and Rx as nonassessable margins. Reassessment of R1v specimens was performed by experienced pathologists until consensus was reached regarding vertical margins., Results:  101/110 included patients had macroscopically complete resections (17 T1a, 84 T1b), and 99/101 (98%) ER specimens were histologically reassessed, with R1v confirmed in 74 patients (75%), Rx in 16%, and R0 in 9%. Presence/absence of residual neoplasia could be assessed in 66/74 patients during endoscopic reassessment (52) and/or in the surgical resection specimen (14), and 33/66 (50%) had residual neoplasia. Residual neoplasia detected during endoscopy was always endoscopically visible and biopsies from a normal-appearing ER scar did not detect additional neoplasia. Of 25 patients who underwent endoscopic follow-up (median 37 months [interquartile range 12-50]), 4 developed local recurrence (16.0%), all detected as visible abnormalities., Conclusions:  After ER with R1v, 50% of patients had no residual neoplasia. Histological evaluation of ER margins appears challenging, as in this study 75% of documented R1v cases were confirmed during reassessment. Endoscopic reassessment 8-12 weeks after ER seems to accurately detect residual neoplasia and can help to determine the most appropriate strategy for patients with R1v., Competing Interests: B.L.A.M. Weusten has received financial research support from Pentax Medical and Aqua Medical, and has received lecture fees from and is a consultant for Pentax Medical. J.J.G.H.M. Bergman has received financial support for institutional review board-approved research from C2Therapeutics/Pentax Medical, Medtronic, and Aqua Medical. R.E Pouw is a consultant for Medtronic BV and MicroTech Europe, and has received speaker fees from Pentax. L. van Tilburg, E.P.D. Verheij, S.E.M. van de Ven, S.N. van Munster, L. Alvarez Herrero, W.B. Nagengast, E.J. Schoon, A. Alkhalaf, L. Oudijk, S.L. Meijer, M. Jansen, M. Doukas, and A.D. Koch declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

The metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is currently one of the biggest global health challenges because of its impact on public health. MetSyn includes the cluster of metabolic disorders including obesity, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, high triglyceride levels, and hepatic steatosis. Together, these abnormalities increase the cardiovascular risk of individuals and pose a threat to healthcare systems worldwide. To better understand and address this complex issue, recent research has been increasingly focusing on unraveling the delicate interplay between metabolic disorders and the intestines and more specifically our gut microbiome. The gut microbiome entails all microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract and plays a pivotal role in metabolic processes and overall health of its host. Emerging evidence proves an association between the gut microbiome composition and aspects of MetSyn, such as obesity. Understanding these relationships is crucial because they offer valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying development and progression of metabolic disorders and possible treatment options. Yet, how should we interpret this relationship? This review focuses on the interplay between the gut and MetSyn. In addition, we have reviewed the existing evidence of the gut microbiome and its association with and impact on metabolic disorders, in an attempt to understand the complex interactions and nature of this association. We also explored potential therapeutic options targeting the gut to modify metabolic disorders and obesity., (Copyright © 2024 by The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Background & Aims: Follow-up (FU) strategies after endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) for Barrett's neoplasia do not consider the risk of mortality from causes other than esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). We aimed to evaluate this risk during long-term FU, and to assess whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) can predict mortality., Methods: We included all patients with successful EET from the nationwide Barrett registry in the Netherlands. Data were merged with National Statistics for accurate mortality data. We evaluated annual mortality rates (AMRs, per 1000 person-years) and standardized mortality ratio for other-cause mortality. Performance of the CCI was evaluated by discrimination and calibration., Results: We included 1154 patients with a mean age of 64 years (±9). During median 59 months (p25-p75 37-91; total 6375 person-years), 154 patients (13%) died from other causes than EAC (AMR, 24.1; 95% CI, 20.5-28.2), most commonly non-EAC cancers (n = 58), cardiovascular (n = 31), or pulmonary diseases (n = 26). Four patients died from recurrent EAC (AMR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.1-1.4). Compared with the general Dutch population, mortality was significantly increased for patients in the lowest 3 age quartiles (ie, age <71 years). Validation of CCI in our population showed good discrimination (Concordance statistic, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.72-0.84) and fair calibration., Conclusion: The other-cause mortality risk after successful EET was more than 40 times higher (48; 95% CI, 15-99) than the risk of EAC-related mortality. Our findings reveal that younger post-EET patients exhibit a significantly reduced life expectancy when compared with the general population. Furthermore, they emphasize the strong predictive ability of CCI for long-term mortality after EET. This straightforward scoring system can inform decisions regarding personalized FU, including appropriate cessation timing. (NL7039)., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is established as first-choice treatment for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) worldwide, most data are derived from Asian studies. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of ESD for patients with early ESCC in a Western cohort., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with early ESCC amenable to ESD were included from four tertiary referral hospitals in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2017. All ESD procedures were performed by experienced endoscopists, after which the decision for additional treatment was made on a per-patient basis. Outcomes were curative resection rate, ESCC-specific survival, and overall survival., Results: Of 68 included patients (mean age 69 years; 34 males), ESD was technically successful in 66 (97%; 95%CI 93%-100%), with curative resection achieved in 34/66 (52%; 95%CI 39%-64%). Among patients with noncurative resection, 15/32 (47%) underwent additional treatment, mainly esophagectomy (n = 10) or definitive chemoradiation therapy (n = 4). Endoscopic surveillance was preferred in 17/32 patients (53%), based on severe comorbidities or patient choice. Overall, 31/66 patients (47%) died during a median follow-up of 66 months; 8/31 (26%) were ESCC-related deaths. The 5-year overall and ESCC-specific survival probabilities were 62% (95%CI 52%-75%) and 86% (95%CI 77%-96%), respectively., Conclusion: In this Western cohort with long-term follow-up, the effectiveness and safety of ESD for early ESCC was confirmed, although the rate of noncurative resections was substantial. Irrespective of curative status, the long-term prognosis of these patients was limited mainly due to competing mortality., Competing Interests: C.N. Frederiks has received speaker fees from Pentax Medical. R.E. Pouw is a consultant for MicroTech, and has received speaker fees from Medtronic. J.J.G.H.M. Bergman is a consultant for Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, and Medtronic, and has received research funding from Aqua Medical, Fuji Film, Olympus Endoscopy, Pentax Medical, and Medtronic. B.L.A.M. Weusten is a consultant for Pentax Medical, has received speaker fees from Pentax Medical, and has received research funding from Aqua Medical and Pentax Medical. I.N. Beaufort, A. Overwater, L.A.A. Brosens, and A.D. Koch declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background and Aims: Circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (cESD) in the esophagus has been reported to be feasible in small Eastern case series. We assessed the outcomes of cESD in the treatment of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Western countries., Methods: We conducted an international study at 25 referral centers in Europe and Australia using prospective databases. We included all patients with ESCC treated with cESD before November 2022. Our main outcomes were curative resection according to European guidelines and adverse events., Results: A total of 171 cESDs were performed on 165 patients. En bloc and R0 resections rates were 98.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95.0-99.4) and 69.6% (95% CI, 62.3-76.0), respectively. Curative resection was achieved in 49.1% (95% CI, 41.7-56.6) of the lesions. The most common reason for noncurative resection was deep submucosal invasion (21.6%). The risk of stricture requiring 6 or more dilations or additional techniques (incisional therapy/stent) was high (71%), despite the use of prophylactic measures in 93% of the procedures. The rates of intraprocedural perforation, delayed bleeding, and adverse cardiorespiratory events were 4.1%, 0.6%, and 4.7%, respectively. Two patients died (1.2%) of a cESD-related adverse event. Overall and disease-free survival rates at 2 years were 91% and 79%., Conclusions: In Western referral centers, cESD for ESCC is curative in approximately half of the lesions. It can be considered a feasible treatment in selected patients. Our results suggest the need to improve patient selection and to develop more effective therapies to prevent esophageal strictures., Competing Interests: Disclosure The following authors disclosed financial relationships: E. R. de Santiago: Consultant for Olympus and Apollo Endosurgery; speaker for Norgine and Casen Recordati. R. E. Pouw: Consultant for Medtronic BV and MicroTech Europe; speaker for Pentax. B. L. A. M. Weusten: Consultant and speaker for Pentax Medical; research grant support from Pentax Medical and Aqua Medical. J. Jacques: Consultant for Olympus, Pentax, Fujifilm, and ERBE Medical; speaker for Janssen. D. Libânio: Speaker for Olympus and Fujifilm Europe. M. Dinis-Robeiro: Consultant for Roche and Medtronic. All other authors disclosed no financial relationships. A. Herreros-de-Tejada: Consultant for Boston Scientific; speaker for Norgine, Creo Medical, Olympus, and Sonoscape., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

High-risk T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma (HR-T1 EAC) is defined as T1 cancer, with one or more of the following histological criteria: submucosal invasion, poorly or undifferentiated cancer, and/or presence of lympho-vascular invasion. Esophagectomy has long been the only available treatment for these HR-T1 EACs and was considered necessary because of a presumed high risk of lymph node metastases up to 46%. However, endoscopic submucosal disscection have made it possible to radically remove HR-T1 EAC, irrespective of size, while leaving the esophageal anatomy intact. Parallel to this development, new publications demonstrated that the risk of lymph node metastases for HR-T1 EAC may be even <24%. Therefore, indications for endoscopic treatment of HR-T1 EAC are being reconsidered and current research aims at finding the optimal management strategy for this indication, where watchful waiting may proof to be an acceptable strategy in selected patients. In this review, we will discuss the latest developments in this field., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest P. Leclercq received speaker's fee, consultancy from Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Erbe, Fujifilm. R. Bisschops received speaker's fees, consultancy and research support from Pentax, Fujifilm and Medtronic, Boston Scientific. J.J.G.H.M. Bergman has received financial support for Institutional Review Board–approved research from C2Therapeutics/Pentax Medical, Medtronic, and Aqua Medical. R.E. Pouw is consultant for Medtronic BV and MicroTech Europe, and received speaker fee from Pentax BV., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Low-grade dysplasia (LGD) in Barrett's esophagus (BE) is associated with an increased risk of progression to high-grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma. However, because of substantial interobserver variability in the diagnosis of LGD, a patient's management plan and health outcome depend largely on which pathologist reviews their case. This study evaluated the ability of a tissue systems pathology test that objectively risk stratifies patients with BE (TissueCypher, TSP-9) to standardize management in a manner consistent with improved health outcomes for patients with BE., Methods: A total of 154 patients with BE with community-based LGD from the prospectively followed screening cohort of the SURF trial were studied. Management decisions were simulated 500 times with varying generalist (n = 16) and expert (n = 14) pathology reviewers to determine the most likely care plan with or without use of the TSP-9 test for guidance. The percentage of patients receiving appropriate management based on the known progression/nonprogression outcomes was calculated., Results: The percentage of patients with 100% of simulations resulting in appropriate management significantly increased from 9.1% for pathology alone, to 58.4% when TSP-9 results were used with pathology, and further increased to 77.3% of patients receiving appropriate management when only TSP-9 results were used. Use of the test results also significantly increased the consistency of management decisions for patients when their slides were reviewed by different pathologists ( P < 0.0001)., Discussion: Management guided by the TSP-9 test can standardize care plans by increasing the early detection of progressors who can receive therapeutic interventions, while also increasing the percentage of nonprogressors who can avoid unnecessary therapy and be managed by surveillance alone., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Background & Aims: Low-grade dysplasia (LGD) is associated with an increased risk of progression in Barrett's esophagus (BE); however, the diagnosis of LGD is limited by substantial interobserver variability. Multiple studies have shown that an objective tissue systems pathology test (TissueCypher Barrett's Esophagus Test, TSP-9), can effectively predict neoplastic progression in patients with BE. This study aimed to compare the risk stratification performance of the TSP-9 test vs benchmarks of generalist and expert pathology., Methods: A blinded cohort study was conducted in the screening cohort of a randomized controlled trial of patients with BE with community-based LGD. Biopsies from the first endoscopy with LGD were assessed by the TSP-9 test and independently reviewed by 30 pathologists from 5 countries per standard practice. The accuracy of the test and the diagnoses in predicting high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) were compared., Results: A total of 154 patients with BE (122 men), mean age 60.9 ± 9.8 years were studied. Twenty-four patients progressed to HGD/EAC within 5 years (median time of 1.7 years) and 130 did not progress to HGD/EAC within 5 years (median 7.8 years follow-up). The TSP-9 test demonstrated higher sensitivity (71% vs mean 63%, range 33%-88% across 30 pathologists), than the pathology review in detecting patients who progressed (P = .01186)., Conclusions: The TSP-9 test outperformed the pathologists in risk stratifying patients with BE with LGD. Care guided by the test can provide an effective solution to variable pathology review of LGD, improving health outcomes by upstaging care to therapeutic intervention for patients at high risk for progression, while reducing unnecessary interventions in low-risk patients., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recently, endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) was introduced as treatment for anastomotic leakage after upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. The aim of this study was to describe the initial experience with EVT for anastomotic leakage after upper GI surgery in a tertiary referral center., Methods: Patients treated with EVT for anastomotic leakage after upper GI surgery were included retrospectively (January 2018-June 2021) and prospectively (June 2021-October 2021). The primary end point was the EVT success rate. Secondary end points included mortality and adverse events., Results: 38 patients were included (31 men; mean age 66 years): 27 had undergone an esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction and 11 a total gastrectomy with esophagojejunal anastomosis. EVT was successful in 28 patients (74 %, 95 %CI 57 %-87 %). In 10 patients, EVT failed: deceased owing to radiation pneumonitis (n = 1), EVT-associated complications (n = 2), and defect closure not achieved (n = 7). Mean duration of successful EVT was 33 days, with a median of six EVT-related endoscopies. Median hospital stay was 45 days., Conclusion: This initial experience with EVT for anastomotic leakage after upper GI surgery demonstrated a success rate of 74 %. EVT is a promising therapy that could prevent further major surgery. More experience with the technique and its indications will likely improve success rates in the future., Competing Interests: R.E. Pouw is a consultant for MicroTech Europe and Medtronic bv., has received speakerʼs fees from Pentax, and is on the advisory board of EsoCap AG. M.I. van Berge Henegouwen is a consultant for Mylan, Johnson & Johnson, Alesi Surgical, BBraun, and Medtronic, and has received unrestricted research grants from Stryker (all fees paid to the institution). L.M.D. Pattynama, F. Daams, S.S. Gisbertz, J.J.G.H.M. Bergman, and W.J. Eshuis declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.