Clinical relevance of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging in decision-making regarding the treatment strategy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND Recent advances in endoscopic technology,especially magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging(ME-NBI)enable us to detect superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC),but determining the appropriate method of resection,endoscopic resection(ER)vs surgical resection,is often challenging.Recently,several studies have reported that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET)is a useful indicator for decision-making regarding treatment for superficial ESCC.Although,there are not enough reports on association between FDG-PET uptake and clinicopathological characteristics of superficial ESCC.And,there are not enough reports on evaluating the usefulness of combination of FDG-PET and ME-NBI for determining the treatment strategy for superficial ESCC.This study evaluated clinical relevance of FDG-PET and ME-NBI in decision-making regarding the treatment strategy for ESCC.AIM To investigate the association between FDG uptake and the clinicopathological characteristics of superficial ESCC and its usefulness of combination of FDG-PET and ME-NBI for determining the treatment strategy for superficial ESCC.METHODS A database of all patients with superficial ESCC who had undergone both MENBI and FDG-PET for pre-treatment staging at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital between January 2008 and November 2018 was retrospectively analyzed.FDG uptake was defined positive or negative whether the primary lesion was visualized or could be distinguished from the background,or not.The invasion depth of ESCC was classified according to the Japan Esophageal Society.Primary endpoint is to evaluate the association between FDG uptake and clinicopathological characteristics of superficial ESCC.Secondary endpoint is to investigate the efficacy of combination of FDG-PET and ME-NBI for determining the treatment strategy for superficial ESCC.RESULTS A total of 82 lesions in 82 patients were included.FDG-PET showed positive uptake in 29(35.4%)lesions.Univariate analysis showed that uptake of FDG-PET had significant correlations with circumferential extension(P=0.014),pathological depth of tumor invasion(P<0.001),infiltrative growth pattern(P<0.001),histological grade(P=0.002),vascular invasion(P=0.001),and lymphatic invasion(P<0.001).On multivariate analysis,only depth of tumor invasion was independently correlated with FDG-PET/computed tomography visibility(P=0.018).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),negative predictive value(NPV),and accuracy of Type B2 in ME-NBI for the invasion depth of T1a muscularis mucosae and T1b upper submucosal layer were 68.4%/79.4%/50.0%/89.3%/76.8%,respectively,and those of Type B3 for the depth of T1b middle and deeper submucosal layers(SM2 and SM3)were 46.7%/100%/100%/89.3%/90.2%,respectively.On the other hand,those of FDGPET for SM2 and SM3 were 93.3%/77.6%/48.2%/98.1%/80.5%,respectively,whereas,if the combination of positive FDG uptake and type B2 and B3 was defined as an indicator for radical esophagectomy or definitive chemoradiotherapy,the sensitivity,specificity,PPV,NPV,and accuracy were 78.3%/91.5%/78.3%/91.5%/87.8%,respectively.CONCLUSION FDG uptake was correlated with the invasion depth of superficial ESCC.Combined use of FDG-PET and ME-NBI,especially with the microvascular findings of Type B2 and B3,is useful to determine whether ER is indicated for the lesion.

Narrow band imaging for bladder cancer

Narrow band imaging(NBI)is a newly developed technology aiming to provide additional endoscopic information for patients with bladder cancer.This review focuses on the diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcome using NBI cystoscopy for the treatment of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.Current results showed improved sensitivity of NBI cystoscopy compared to conventional white light cystoscopy,although lower specificity and increased false-positive results were reported using NBI cystoscopy.The treatment outcome using NBI technology in transurethral resection of bladder tumor had a positive impact while decreased number of residual tumors and tumor recurrence at follow-up were reported.In the future,the application of NBI technology might refine the treatment and follow-up protocol in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.However,this large scale prospective studies are required to confirm the real cost-effectiveness of this new technology.

Brown slits for colorectal adenoma crypts on conventional magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging using the X1 system

BACKGROUND Accurate diagnosis of colorectal premalignant polyps,including adenomas,is vital in clinical practice.AIM To investigate the diagnostic yields of novel findings of brown slits for adenomas.METHODS Patients who underwent colonoscopy at the Toyoshima Endoscopy Clinic were enrolled.Polyps sized≥5 mm suspected of adenomas or clinically significant serrated polyps were included in the study.We defined the surface structures of colorectal polyps,which were brown curves inside and along the tubular glands identified using a combination of a new X1 system(Olympus Corporation)and a conventional magnifying colonoscope with non-staining narrow band imaging(NBI),as brown slits.The brown slits corresponded to slit-like lumens on endocytoscopy and histological crypt openings of an adenoma.We evaluated the diagnostic performance of brown slits for adenoma.RESULTS A total of 108 Lesions from 62 patients were eligible.The average age was 60.4 years and 41.9%were male.The mean polyp size was 7.45±2.83 mm.Fifty-seven lesions were positive for brown slits.Histopathological diagnosis comprised 59 low-grade tubular adenomas,16 sessile serrated lesions,and 33 hyperplastic polyps.Among 59 adenomas,56(94.9%)were positive for brown slits.Among 16 sessile serrated lesions,0(0%)was positive for brown slits.Among 33 hyperplastic polyps,1(3.0%)was positive for brown slits.The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of brown slits for adenoma were 94.9%,98.0%,and 96.3%,respectively.The positive predictive value and negative predictive value of brown slits for adenoma were also excellent for 98.2%,and 94.1%,respectively.CONCLUSION Brown slits on conventional magnifying endoscopy with non-staining NBI using the X1 system were useful for diagnosing colorectal adenoma.The new endoscopy system could be examined using new standards.

A Comprehensive Study on the digestive Endoscopic Technique and Narrow-Band Imaging for Early Gastric Cancer Screening

Objective:To explore the implementation of gastrointestinal endoscopy technology and endoscopic narrow-band imaging(NBI)in the early screening of gastric cancer and to observe and study their application effects.Methods:During the period from March 2023 to August 2023,312 patients who received gastroscopy in the Kunming Guandu District People’s Hospital were selected,and they underwent both conventional gastroscopy and endoscopic NBI,with clinicopathological tissue biopsy serving as the gold standard.The application value for early screening of gastric cancer was observed and analyzed.Results:The scoring data showed that the clarity of gastric mucosal glandular tube structure,microvascular structure clarity,and lesion contour scoring data of conventional gastroscopy were lower than those of the NBI technology(P<0.05).The screening rate of pathological biopsy in 312 patients was 18.59%(58 cases).Conventional gastroscopy showed a screening rate of 11.53%(36 cases),while NBI technology examined a screening rate of 17.63%(55 cases),and the two-by-two comparison of the screening rate data of the three groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of conventional gastroscopy appeared to be lower than those of NBI technology(P<0.05).Conclusion:In the early screening of gastric cancer,endoscopic NBI technology can be applied to patients.Compared with conventional gastroscopy,it provides a clearer visualization of the structure of the gastric mucosal glandular structure and microvascular structure,with a certain screening rate.Additionally,its sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value are higher,demonstrating outstanding effectiveness.

Role of magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric precancerous conditions:Few issues

Standard endoscopy with biopsy and narrow-band imaging with guided biopsy are techniques for the detection of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)-related gastritis and precancerous lesions.In this study,the authors compared standard endoscopy and magnified narrow-band imaging(commonly known as NBI-M)in the diagnosis of H.pylori infections,atrophic gastritis,and intestinal metaplasia.Although the sensitivity of NBI-M is better than standard endoscopy,the diagnostic accuracy did not differ substantially between the diagnostic modalities.Future prospective studies may guide endoscopists in difficult cases regarding which modality is more useful and cost-effective for the diagnosis of H.pylorirelated gastritis and precancerous conditions.

Texture and color enhancement imaging in magnifying endoscopic evaluation of colorectal adenomas

BACKGROUND Olympus Corporation has developed texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)as a novel image-enhancing endoscopic technique.AIM To investigate the effectiveness of TXI in identifying colorectal adenomas using magnifying observation.METHODS Colorectal adenomas were observed by magnified endoscopy using white light imaging(WLI),TXI,narrow band imaging(NBI),and chromoendoscopy(CE).This study adopted mode 1 of TXI.Adenomas were confirmed by histological examination.TXI visibility was compared with the visibility of WLI,NBI,and CE for tumor margin,and vessel and surface patterns of the Japan NBI expert team(JNET)classification.Three expert endoscopists and three non-expert endoscopists evaluated the visibility scores,which were classified as 1,2,3,and 4.RESULTS Sixty-one consecutive adenomas were evaluated.The visibility score for tumor margin of TXI(3.47±0.79)was significantly higher than that of WLI(2.86±1.02,P<0.001),but lower than that of NBI(3.76±0.52,P<0.001),regardless of the endoscopist’s expertise.TXI(3.05±0.79)had a higher visibility score for the vessel pattern of JNET classification than WLI(2.17±0.90,P<0.001)and CE(2.47±0.87,P<0.001),but lower visibility score than NBI(3.79±0.47,P<0.001),regardless of the experience of endoscopists.For the visibility score for the surface pattern of JNET classification,TXI(2.89±0.85)was superior to WLI(1.95±0.79,P<0.01)and CE(2.75±0.90,P=0.002),but inferior to NBI(3.67±0.55,P<0.001).CONCLUSION TXI provided higher visibility than WLI,lower than NBI,and comparable to or higher than CE in the magnified observation of colorectal adenomas.

Texture and color enhancement imaging for detecting colorectal adenomas: Good, but not good enough

Texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)has been developed as a novel image-enhancing endoscopy.However,the effectiveness of TXI detecting adenomas is inferior to narrow band imaging.Thus,future studies will need to focus on investigating the feasibility of such combination in clinical settings in order to provide patients with more accurate diagnoses.

Esophageal superficial adenosquamous carcinoma resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection:A rare case report

BACKGROUND Adenosquamous carcinoma(ASC),which is comprised of squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)and adenocarcinoma elements,is a rare histological type of esophageal carcinoma.Few reports have focused on the endoscopic findings and the effectiveness of the endoscopic treatment of early ASC.CASE SUMMARY A 77-year-old man underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy for heartburn.A flat lesion with an uneven and slightly elevated central portion was found in the distal esophagus.Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging showed a well-demarcated brownish area with dendritically branched abnormal vessels and highly irregular intrapapillary capillary loops.A histopathological diagnosis of SCC was obtained by endoscopic biopsy.Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic mass confined to the mucosa layer.The lesion was suspected to be SCC with invasion into the muscularis mucosa.The lesion was resected en bloc by endoscopic submucosal dissection and histologically diagnosed as esophageal ASC limited within the muscularis mucosa,which was completely resected without lymphovascular or neural invasion.The SCC element was the predominant element.The adenocarcinoma element formed ductal and nested structures distributed in a focal pattern.The patient underwent only endoscopic submucosal dissection and has been under annual endoscopic and radiographic surveillance for 3 years without recurrence.CONCLUSION For early ASC confined within the mucosal layer,complete endoscopic resection might also be a curative treatment.