Background and aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is effective in treating early gastric cancer (EGC). Its role in patients with comorbidities along with more advanced disease is unknown. We sought to evaluate this in a large Western cohort.
Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent ESD for EGC in a single tertiary Western endoscopy center over 10 years were prospectively analyzed. The primary outcomes were long-term overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) up to 5 years. Secondary outcomes were efficacy and serious adverse events (SAEs).
Results: ESD for 157 cases of EGC in 149 patients was performed in an elderly and comorbid cohort with a mean age of 73.7 years and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index of 4.2. Over a median follow-up of 51.6 months, no significant differences were found in 5-year OS (88.9% vs 77.9%, P = .290) and DFS (83.2% vs 75.1%, P = .593) between absolute indication EGC and relative indication (RI) EGC. The absolute indication EGC cohort achieved higher en bloc (96.3% vs 87.5%, P = .069) and R0 resection rates (93.6% vs 62.5%, P < .001) when compared with RI EGC. No significant differences were found in SAEs (7.3% vs 12.5%, P = .363). No mortality or surgical resection ensued from adverse events from ESD.
Conclusions: ESD safely confers DFS in poor surgical candidates with RI EGC in a large Western cohort. Patients who are elderly and/or with comorbidities or who decline surgical resection may benefit from ESD and avoid the risks of surgery and its long-term sequelae. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02306707.).
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