Background: The use of minimally invasive procedures for the management of gastrointestinal cancer is increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of high-frequency miniprobe endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for therapeutic decisions making in patients with gastric or colonic tumors.
Methods: A total of 137 patients underwent EUS with a 12.5-MHz miniprobe for preoperative staging of tumors of the stomach ( n = 49) or colon ( n = 88). After resection, the surgical path was reviewed to analyze the role of preoperative staging with miniprobes.
Results: Miniprobe EUS enabled accurate assessment of the infiltration depth of gastric and colonic tumors. The overall accuracy rates were 88% and 87%, respectively. The lymph node status was predicted correctly in 82% of the patients (sensitivity, 61%, specificity, 94%). Based on the results of miniprobe EUS, patients with gastric cancer were accurately selected to undergo endoscopic mucosal resection, laparoscopic resection, or open surgery in 100%, 91%, and 86% of the cases, respectively. In patients with colonic tumors, the treatment decision analysis showed that the stratification was correct in 90% of the patients.
Conclusions: Miniprobe EUS is a reliable method for validating treatment decisions for patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures for gastric and colonic tumors. This method is particularly valuable in the management of colon cancer, because endoscopic and laparoscopic resections can be offered to selected patients as an alternative to open surgery.