Patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) frequently develop synchronous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). With advances in endoscopic technology and widespread screening of synchronous cancers, the detection of synchronous HNSCC and superficial ESCC (SESCC) is increasing. We aimed to evaluate the impact of preceding HNSCC treatment on synchronous SESCC.

This single-center retrospective study enrolled patients with synchronous HNSCC and SESCC who were treated between January 2010 and December 2023. Tumor size and depth of SESCC before and after HNSCC treatment were evaluated. The factors associated with SESCC progression were investigated.

Of the 299 patients with synchronous HNSCC and SESCC, 134 who underwent preceding HNSCC treatment with follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for SESCC were evaluated. Chemoradiotherapy was the most common treatment for HNSCC (56.0%), followed by surgery (17.2%), radiotherapy (14.9%), local resection (7.5%), and chemotherapy (4.5%). The tumor size of SESCC increased after HNSCC treatment in 18 patients (13.4%). Multivariate analysis revealed that an EGD interval of ≥ 120 days was significantly associated with increased tumor size in SESCC (odds ratio, 6.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-23.1). Tumor regrowth was observed in 70.6% of SESCCs that shrank with HNSCC treatment, mostly within six months. Tumor depth aggravation was rare (2.2%), but progression to advanced ESCC was observed in two patients.

Timely endoscopic follow-up, preferably within 120 days, is crucial for managing synchronous SESCC after HNSCC treatment to prevent tumor progression. Tumor regrowth should be monitored when SESCC shrinks with HNSCC treatment.

In this editorial, we explored currently available strategies for reducing the occurrence of esophageal strictures following circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection. This manuscript provided a comprehensive overview of the various strategies including recent insights from Wang et al. To this end, stenosis-related symptoms such as dysphagia and vomiting can severely affect a patient's quality of life. Therefore, we assess the efficacy of both reactive and proactive measures, ranging from traditional approaches like endoscopic balloon dilation and steroid administration to more advanced techniques, including tissue engineering and polyglycolic acid sheet placement. However, no single treatment has shown high efficacy, particularly for resections involving the entire circumference. Despite these shortcomings, the combination of different strategies may improve patient outcomes, although further large-scale studies are needed for validation.

Esophageal stricture is one of the major complications after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of the esophagus. However, even with steroid prophylaxis, stenosis still occurs in up to 45% of patients. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of steroid therapy in preventing esophageal strictures after ESD, as well as to assess the predictors of esophageal strictures after the application of steroids.

Between February 2018 and March 2023, 207 patients who underwent esophageal ESD at Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital were retrospectively enrolled. We evaluated stenosis rate, number of endoscopic dilations after ESD, the interval between the first endoscopic dilatation after ESD and explored risk factors for strictures after steroid prophylaxis.

In the control group, the oral steroids group, and the combined group, the stenosis rates were 83/87 (95.4%), 44/53 (83.0%), and 56/67 (83.6%), respectively; the number of endoscopic dilations were 3.43 (±2.22), 2.34 (±2.17), and 1.52 (±1.25), respectively; the time intervals between first endoscopic dilation and ESD procedure were 38.36 (±6.87), 68.18 (±9.49), and 96.82 (±8.41) days, respectively; all these indicators were significantly better in the oral and combined groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified lesion circumference ≥ 5/6th and submucosal injection of solution were two independent factors on esophageal stricture formation (p < 0.05).

Steroid prophylaxis is effective and safe in preventing esophageal stenosis. Moreover, lesion circumference and submucosal injection of sodium hyaluronate were two independent factors on esophageal stricture formation even with steroids administration.

Refractory esophageal stricture is the common complication of extensive endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), without satisfactory endoscopic treatment strategies. We evaluated the efficacy, safety, and long-term patency of the modified endoscopic radial incision and selective cutting combined with short-term stenting (RISC-STS) for the treatment of refractory esophageal stenosis.

This was a retrospective study. Patients diagnosed with refractory esophageal stricture from June 2016 to June 2023 were enrolled. Efficacy, safety, and risk factors for dysphagia after RISC-STS operation were assessed.

Compared with clinical symptoms before RISC-STS, there was no significant improvement in the times of stricture recurred (p = 0.75). However, the narrowest diameter of esophageal stenosis was significantly larger after RISC-STS treatment (p = 0.04). Corresponding dysphagia scores after RISC-STS were obviously lowered according to the Mellow-Pinkas grading scale (p = 0.002). More cases ((14 (60.87%) vs 5 (21.74%)) received valid symptom-relief periods after RISC-STS (p = 0.0004). The complications of RISC-STS include perforation (4.35%), fever (4.35%), and pain (30.43%). Univariate Cox analysis suggested that resection length >7 cm of scar tissue was a risk factor for refractory dysphagia after RISC-STS.

The present study revealed that RISC-STS is an effective and safe technique for refractory esophageal stricture with lower restenosis, higher valid symptom-relief rate, and fewer complications.

There is a high incidence of stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for cervical esophageal cancer. We aimed to elucidate the risk factors for stricture and to evaluate the efficacy of steroid injection for stricture prevention in the cervical esophagus.

We retrospectively analyzed 100 patients who underwent ESD for cervical esophageal cancer to (1) identify the factors associated with stricture among patients who did not receive steroid injection, and (2) compare the incidence of stricture between patients with and without steroid injection.

Among 48 patients who did not receive steroid injection, there were significant differences in tumor size (P = .026), resection time (P = .028), and circumferential extent of the mucosal defect (P = .005) between patients with stricture (n = 5) and without stricture (n = 43). Compared with patients without steroid injection, patients with steroid injection had a significantly lower incidence of stricture when the post-ESD mucosal defect was <3/4 and ≥1/2 (40% versus 8%; P = .039). For the patients with a post-ESD mucosal defect of ≥3/4 (n = 13), local steroid injection was performed for all of them, and 6 (46%) developed stricture.

Patients who underwent ≥1/2 circumferential resection were at high risk of cervical esophageal stricture. Steroid injection had a stricture prevention effect in patients with <3/4 and ≥1/2 circumferential resection, but seemed to be insufficient in preventing stricture in patients with ≥3/4 circumferential resection.

Extensive esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissections (ESDs) without preventive measures carry a high risk of stricture. Oral steroids and local injection of triamcinolone acetonide have proven to be effective in Asia for the prevention of esophageal stricture. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a systematic steroid administration protocol for stricture prevention in a Western center.

A retrospective review was conducted of all esophageal ESDs performed at H.U.B. Erasme Hospital, Brussels between 2016 and 2022. Injection of triamcinolone was performed for mucosal defects between 50% and 89% of the circumference. We added oral corticosteroids for patients with resections of ≥90% of the circumference. The primary outcome was the incidence of symptomatic stenosis at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included the cumulative stricture rate assessed by endoscopy within 6 months of ESD. Potential risk factors of stricture were evaluated with univariate and multivariate analysis.

111 patients underwent 130 esophageal ESDs, with 59 patients receiving triamcinolone acetonide local injection and eight receiving local and oral corticosteroids. The primary outcome demonstrated a stricture incidence of 8.4%. The cumulative stricture rate assessed by endoscopy within 6 months of ESD was 10.4%. A mucosal defect of ≥60 mm in length was associated with a 15-fold increased risk of stricture, with circumferential extent also identified as being an independent prognostic factor for stricture.

Our protocol led to a low stricture rate, even after extensive resection. As a single session treatment without systemic side effects, triamcinolone injection could provide benefits as a preventive method after large esophageal resections.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a reliable method to resect early esophageal cancer. Esophageal stricture is one of the major complications after ESD of the esophagus. Steroid prophylaxis for esophageal strictures, particularly local injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA), is a relatively effective method to prevent esophageal strictures. However, even with steroid prophylaxis, stenosis still occurs in up to 45% of patients. Predicting the risk of stenosis formation after local TA injection would enable additional interventions in risky patients.

To identify the predictors of esophageal strictures after steroids application.

Patients who underwent esophageal ESD and steroid prophylaxis and who were comprehensively assessed for lesion- and ESD-related factors at Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital between February 2018 and March 2023 were included in the study. The univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify the predictors of stricture among patients undergoing steroid prophylaxis.

A total of 120 patients were included in the analysis. In the oral prednisone and oral prednisone combined with local tretinoin injection groups, the stenosis rates were 44/53 (83.0%) and 56/67 (83.6%), respectively. Among them, univariate analysis showed that the lesion circumference (P = 0.01) and submucosal injection solution (P = 0.04) showed significant correlation with the risk of stenosis formation. Logistic regression analyses were then performed using predictors that were significant in the univariate analyses and combined with known predictors from previous reports, such as additional chemoradiotherapy and tumor location. We identified a lesion circumference < 5/6 (OR = 0.19; P = 0.02) and submucosal injection of sodium hyaluronate (OR = 0.15; P = 0.03) as independent predictors of on esophageal stricture formation.

Steroid prophylaxis effectively prevents stenosis. Moreover, the lesion circumference and submucosal injection of sodium hyaluronate were independent predictors of esophageal strictures. Additional interventions should be considered in high-risk patients.

Positive vertical margins (VMs) are common after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of T1b esophageal cancer (EC) and are associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Traction during ESD provides better exposure of the submucosa and may allow deeper dissection, potentially reducing the risk of positive VMs. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study to compare the proportion of resections with positive VMs in ESD performed with versus without traction in pathologically staged T1b EC.

Patients who underwent ESD revealing T1b EC (squamous or adenocarcinoma) at 10 academic tertiary referral centers in the United States (n = 9) and Brazil (n = 1) were included. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted. ESD using either traction techniques (tunneling, pocket) or traction devices (clip line, traction wire) were classified as ESD with traction (Tr-ESD) and those without were classified as conventional ESD without traction. The primary outcome was a negative VM. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations with negative VMs.

A total of 166 patients with pathologically staged T1b EC underwent Tr-ESD (n = 63; 38%) or conventional ESD without traction (n = 103; 62%). Baseline factors were comparable between both groups. On multivariable analysis, Tr-ESD was found to be independently associated with negative VMs (odds ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.91; P = .037) and R0 resection (odds ratio, 2.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-6.23; P = .008).

Tr-ESD seems to be associated with higher odds of negative VMs than ESD without traction for pathologically staged T1b EC, and future well-conducted prospective studies are warranted to establish the findings of the current study.

Circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (cESD) in the esophagus has been reported to be feasible in small Eastern case series. We assessed the outcomes of cESD in the treatment of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Western countries.

We conducted an international study at 25 referral centers in Europe and Australia using prospective databases. We included all patients with ESCC treated with cESD before November 2022. Our main outcomes were curative resection according to European guidelines and adverse events.

A total of 171 cESDs were performed on 165 patients. En bloc and R0 resections rates were 98.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95.0-99.4) and 69.6% (95% CI, 62.3-76.0), respectively. Curative resection was achieved in 49.1% (95% CI, 41.7-56.6) of the lesions. The most common reason for noncurative resection was deep submucosal invasion (21.6%). The risk of stricture requiring 6 or more dilations or additional techniques (incisional therapy/stent) was high (71%), despite the use of prophylactic measures in 93% of the procedures. The rates of intraprocedural perforation, delayed bleeding, and adverse cardiorespiratory events were 4.1%, 0.6%, and 4.7%, respectively. Two patients died (1.2%) of a cESD-related adverse event. Overall and disease-free survival rates at 2 years were 91% and 79%.

In Western referral centers, cESD for ESCC is curative in approximately half of the lesions. It can be considered a feasible treatment in selected patients. Our results suggest the need to improve patient selection and to develop more effective therapies to prevent esophageal strictures.

Plummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS) or Paterson-Brown-Kelly syndrome is a rare clinical condition characterized by the triad of esophageal webs/stenoses, iron-deficiency anemia, and progressively worsening dysphagia. It occurs mostly in Caucasian women in the fourth to seventh decades, particularly in northern countries. Esophageal webs and stenoses can be encountered during endoscopic evaluation for the patient's complaint of dysphagia. Esophageal stenoses are characterized as simple or complex. A stenosis should be considered refractory once the patient has undergone several sequential dilatations within short intervals, optimized treatment for potential underlying causes (eosinophilic esophagitis or acid reflux), and after neuromuscular causes have been excluded. Glucocorticoid injection into a stenosis during an endoscopic dilation session has been proven to be beneficial as the initial treatment modality of refractory nonmalignant esophageal stenoses. We present a case of a 39-year-old woman with refractory esophageal stenosis in the setting of PVS which was successfully treated with serial endoscopic glucocorticoid injections while she received oral iron supplementation. To our knowledge, there are no previous cases of esophageal stenoses associated with PVS in the literature requiring endoscopic glucocorticoid injection for successful resolution.