Assessment of delayed bleeding after endoscopic submucosal dissection of early-stage gastrointestinal tumors in patients receiving direct oral anticoagulants

Delayed bleeding is a major and serious adverse event of endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)for early-stage gastrointestinal tumors.The rate of post-ESD bleeding for gastric cancer is higher(around 5%-8%)than that for esophagus,duodenum and colon cancer(around 2%-4%).Although investigations into the risk factors for post-ESD bleeding have identified several procedure-,lesion-,physician-and patient-related factors,use of antithrombotic drugs,especially anticoagulants[direct oral anticoagulants(DOACs)and warfarin],is thought to be the biggest risk factor for post-ESD bleeding.In fact,the post-ESD bleeding rate in patients receiving DOACs is 8.7%-20.8%,which is higher than that in patients not receiving anticoagulants.However,because clinical guidelines for management of ESD in patients receiving DOACs differ among countries,it is necessary for endoscopists to identify ways to prevent post-ESD delayed bleeding in clinical practice.Given that the pharmacokinetics(e.g.,plasma DOAC level at both trough and T_(max))and pharmacodynamics(e.g.,anti-factor Xa activity)of DOACs are related to risk of major bleeding,plasma DOAC level and anti-FXa activity may be useful parameters for monitoring the anti-coagulate effect and identifying DOAC patients at higher risk of post-ESD bleeding.

Small sphincterotomy combined with endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation vs sphincterotomy alone for removal of common bile duct stones

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic papillary large diameter balloon dilation(EPLBD)following limited endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST)and EST alone for removal of large common bile duct(CBD)stones.METHODS:We retrospectively compared EST+EPLBD(group A,n=64)with EST alone(group B,n=89)for the treatment of large or multiple bile duct stones.The success rate of stone clearance,procedure-related complications and incidents,frequency of mechanical lithotripsy use,and recurrent stones were recorded.RESULTS:There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding periampullary diverticula(35.9%vs 34.8%,P>0.05),pre-cut sphincterotomy(6.3%vs 6.7%,P>0.05),size(12.1±2.0mm vs 12.9±2.6 mm,P>0.05)and number(2.2±1.9vs 2.4±2.1,P>0.05)of stones or the diameters of CBD(15.1±3.3 mm vs 15.4±3.6 mm,P>0.05).The rates of overall stone removal and stone removal in the first session were not significantly different between the two groups[62/64(96.9%)vs 84/89(94.4%),P>0.05;and 58/64(90.6%)vs 79/89(88.8%),P>0.05,respectively].The rates of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis and hyperamylasemia were not significantly different between the two groups[3/64(4.7%)vs 4/89(4.5%),P>0.05;7/64(10.9%)vs 9/89(10.1%),P>0.05,respectively].There were no cases of perforation,acute cholangitis,or cholecystitis in the two groups.The rate of bleeding and the recurrence of CBD stones were significantly lower in group A than in group B[1/64(1.6%)vs 5/89(5.6%),P<0.05;1/64(1.6%)vs 6/89(6.7%),P<0.05,respectively].CONCLUSION:EST+EPLBD is an effective and safe endoscopic approach for removing large or multiple CBD stones.

Decompression of the small bowel by endoscopic long-tube placement

AIM:To investigate and compare the decompression effect on small bowel obstruction of a long tube inserted using either endoscopic or fluoroscopic placement.METHODS:Seventy-eight patients with small bowel obstruction requiring decompression were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups.Intubation of a long tube was guided by fluoroscopy in one group and by endoscopy in the other.The duration of the procedure and the success rate for each group were evaluated.RESULTS:A statistically significant difference in the mean duration of the procedure was found between the fluoroscopic group(32.6±14.6 min)and the endoscopic group(16.5±7.8 min)among the cases classified as successful(P<0.05).The success rate was significantly different between the groups:88.6%in the fluoroscopic group and 100%in the endoscopic group(P <0.05).CONCLUSION:For patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction,long-tube decompression is recommended and long-tube insertion by endoscopy was superior to fluoroscopic placement.

Chemoprevention of gastric cancer development after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy in an East Asian population:Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection is a risk factor for gastric cancer(GC),especially in East Asian populations.Most East Asian populations infected with H.pylori are at higher risk for GC than H.pylori-positive European and United States populations.H.pylori eradication therapy reduces gastric cancer risk in patients after endoscopic and operative resection for GC,as well as in non-GC patients with atrophic gastritis.AIM To clarify the chemopreventive effects of H.pylori eradication therapy in an East Asian population with a high incidence of GC.METHODS PubMed and the Cochrane library were searched for randomized control trials(RCTs)and cohort studies published in English up to March 2019.Subgroup analyses were conducted with regard to study designs(i.e.,RCTs or cohort studies),country where the study was conducted(i.e.,Japan,China,and South Korea),and observation periods(i.e.,≤5 years and>5 years).The heterogeneity and publication bias were also measured.RESULTS For non-GC patients with atrophic gastritis and patients after resection for GC,4 and 4 RCTs and 12 and 18 cohort studies were included,respectively.In RCTs,the median incidence of GC for the untreated control groups and the treatment groups was 272.7(180.4–322.4)and 162.3(72.5–588.2)per 100000 person-years in non-GC cases with atrophic gastritis and 1790.7(406.5–2941.2)and 1126.2(678.7–1223.1)per 100000 person-years in cases of after resection for GC.Compared with non-treated H.pylori-positive controls,the eradication groups had a significantly reduced risk of GC,with a relative risk of 0.67[95%confidence interval(CI):0.47–0.96]for non-GC patients with atrophic gastritis and 0.51(0.36–0.73)for patients after resection for GC in the RCTs,and 0.39(0.30–0.51)for patients with gastritis and 0.54(0.44–0.67)for patients after resection in cohort studies.CONCLUSION In the East Asian population with a high risk of GC,H.pylori eradication effectively reduced the risk of GC,irrespective of past history of previous cancer.

Life prognosis of sentinel node navigation surgery for early-stage gastric cancer:Outcome of lymphatic basin dissection

BACKGROUND Lymphatic basin dissection is a sentinel node biopsy method that is specific for gastric cancer.In this method,the dyed lymphatic system is dissected en bloc,and sentinel nodes are identified at the back table(ex vivo).Even with lymphatic basin dissection,blood flow to the residual stomach can be preserved,and functionpreserving curative gastrectomy can be performed.The oncological safety of function-preserving curative gastrectomy combined with lymphatic basin dissection has not yet been fully investigated.We hypothesized that the oncological safety of sentinel node navigation surgery(SNNS)is not inferior to that of the guidelines.AIM To investigate the life prognosis of SNNS for gastric cancer in comparison with guidelines surgery.METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study.Patients were selected from gastric cancer patients who underwent sentinel node biopsy from April 1999 to March 2016.Patients from April 1999 to August 2008 were from the Department of Surgery II,Kanazawa University Hospital,and patients from August 2009 to March 2016 were from the Department of Surgical Oncology,Kanazawa Medical University Hospital.Patients who were diagnosed with gastric cancer,which was preoperatively diagnosed as superficial type(type 0),5 cm or less in length,clinical T1-2 and node negative,and underwent various gastrectomies guided by sentinel node navigation were retrospectively collected.The overall survival(OS)and relapsefree survival(RFS)of these patients(SNNS group)were investigated.Patients with gastric cancer of the same stage and who underwent guidelines gastrectomy with standard nodal dissection were also selected as the control group.RESULTS A total of 239 patients in the SNNS group and 423 patients in the control group were included.Pathological nodal metastasis was observed in 10.5%and 10.4%of the SNNS and control groups,respectively.The diagnostic abilities of sentinel node biopsy were 84%and 98.6%for sensitivity and accuracy,respectively.In the SNNS group,81.6%of patients underwent modified gastrectomy or functionpreserving curative gastrectomy with lymphatic basin dissection,in which the extent of nodal dissection was further reduced compared to the guidelines.The OS rate in the SNNS group was 96.8%at 5 years and was significantly better than 91.3%in the control group(P=0.0014).The RFS rates were equal in both groups.After propensity score matching,there were 231 patients in both groups,and the cumulative recurrence rate was 0.43%at 5 years in the SNNS group and 1.30%in the control group,which was not statistically different.CONCLUSION The oncological safety of patients who undergo gastrectomy guided by sentinel node navigation is not inferior to that of the guidelines surgery.