Redefining the treatment paradigm for esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors: The emerging role of endoscopic resection

Table 1 Comparison of surgical vs endoscopic resection for esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Parameter	Surgical resection/esophagectomy	Endoscopic resection (STER/EFTR)
Invasiveness	High	Low
Organ preservation	Not always	Yes
Risk of perforation or rupture	Moderate to high	Low to moderate
R0 resection rate	High (especially with esophagectomy)	Moderate (especially in tumors > 4 cm)
Hospital stay	7-14 days	2-5 days
Tumor size indication	Often > 4 cm	Up to 4 cm (up to 5 cm in selected STER cases)
Possibility of surgical re-treatment	Limited	Feasible

EFTR: Endoscopic full-thickness resection; STER: Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection.