Surveillance and follow-up strategies in patients with high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus: a Dutch population-based study

RISK OF PRENEOPLASTIC LESIONS IN MUCOSAL PROJECTIONS OF DIFFERENT SIZES OF THE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM IN THE LOWER ESOPHAGUS

BACKGROUND

Barrett's esophagus is an acquired condition that predisposes to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to establish an association between the endoscopic and the histopathological findings regarding differently sized endoscopic columnar epithelial mucosa projections in the low esophagus, under 3.0 cm in the longitudinal extent.

METHODS

This is a prospective study, including 1262 patients who were submitted to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the period from July 2015 to June 2017. The suspicious projections were measured and subdivided into three groups according to the sizes encountered (Group I: <0.99 cm; Group II: 1.0-1.99 cm; and Group III: 2.0-2.99 cm), and biopsies were then performed.

RESULTS

There was a general prevalence of suspicious lesions of 6.42% and of confirmed Barrett's lesions of 1.17%, without a general significant statistical difference among groups. However, from Groups I and II to Group III, the differences were significant, showing that the greater the lesion, the higher the probability of Barrett's esophagus diagnosis. The absolute number of Barrett's lesions was 7, 9, and 6 for Groups I, II, and III, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings led to the conclusion that even projections under 3.0 cm present a similar possibility of evolution to Barrett's esophagus. If, on the one hand, short segments are more prevalent, on the other hand, the long segments have the higher probability of Barrett's esophagus diagnosis, which is why biopsies are required in all suspicious segments.

Reflux, Barrett's Esophagus, and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma After Bariatric Surgery

We present the case of a patient who developed esophageal adenocarcinoma after a previous laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Bariatric surgery has emerged as the most effective treatment option for weight loss and obesity-related diseases; however, sleeve gastrectomy promotes gastroesophageal reflux and leads to Barrett's esophagus in a substantial portion of patients. The natural history of Barrett's esophagus in these patients is unknown, and active surveillance is recommended until the incidence of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma in this population is clarified. Management options for these patients include conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Although esophagectomy in patients who have previously undergone sleeve gastrectomy may require an alternative conduit, the remnant stomach can be used in carefully selected patients. Here, we review the different weight loss procedures, their effect on gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's esophagus, and the treatment options for patients with esophageal cancer after sleeve gastrectomy. We report the use of preoperative coil embolization as a means of vascular preconditioning before successful use of a gastric conduit.

Salvage cryotherapy in patients undergoing endoscopic eradication therapy for complicated Barrett's esophagus

Background and study aims  Some patients with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE) experience suboptimal response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA), endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), or the combination. Cryotherapy has been used as salvage therapy in these patients, but outcomes data are limited. We aimed to assess clinical outcomes among a large cohort of patients with dysplastic BE whose condition had failed to respond to RFA and/or EMR. Patients and methods  This was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive cases of dysplastic BE or intramucosal carcinoma (IMC) treated with salvage cryotherapy at a tertiary-care academic medical center. The primary goal of cryotherapy treatment was eradication of all neoplasia. The secondary goal was eradication of all intestinal metaplasia. The proportion of patients undergoing salvage cryotherapy who achieved complete eradication of dysplasia (CE-D) and metaplasia (CE-IM), as well as the time to CE-D and CE-IM were calculated. Results  Over a 12-year period, 46 patients received salvage cryotherapy. All patients underwent RFA prior to cryotherapy, either at our center or prior to referral, and 50 % of patients underwent EMR. A majority of patients (54 %) had high-grade dysplasia (HGD) at referral, while 33 % had low-grade dysplasia (LGD), and 13 % had IMC. Overall, 38 patients (83 %) reached CE-D and 21 (46 %) reached CE-IM. Median time to CE-D was 18 months, median number of total interventions (RFA, cryotherapy, and EMR) was five, and median number of cryotherapy sessions was two. Conclusion  Salvage cryotherapy appears safe and effective for treating BE that is refractory to RFA and/or EMR.

Endosheath ultrathin transnasal endoscopy is a cost-effective method for screening for Barrett's esophagus in patients with GERD symptoms

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Barrett's esophagus (BE) screening is currently not considered to be cost effective in the general population but may be effective in high-risk subgroups, such as 50-year-old white men with chronic reflux disease (GERD). A new modality for screening is unsedated transnasal endoscopy using endosheath technology (uTNE), which has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical practice. In this study, we determined the cost-utility of uTNE in a high-risk subgroup compared with no screening or screening with standard endoscopy.

METHODS

A Markov model was used to simulate screening of 50-year-old white men with symptoms of GERD with either uTNE or standard endoscopy compared with no screening, over a lifetime horizon. Input variables were based on the literature and recent data on uTNE screening for BE. The study was designed from a healthcare payer perspective by using direct costs. Primary outcome measures were costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of uTNE and standard endoscopy compared with no screening. Sensitivity analysis was performed for several factors, such as prevalence of BE.

RESULTS

Costs of uTNE, standard endoscopy, and no screening were estimated at, $2495, $2957, and $1436, respectively. Compared with no screening, uTNE screening resulted in an overall QALY increase of 0.039 (95% percentile 0.018; 0.063) and an ICUR of $29,446 per QALY gained (95% confidence interval [CI], 18.516-53.091), whereas standard endoscopy compared with no screening resulted in a QALY increase of 0.034 (95% CI, 0.015-0.056) and an ICUR of $47,563 (95% CI, 31,036-82,970).

CONCLUSION

Both uTNE and standard endoscopy seem to be cost-effective screening methods in a screening cohort of 50-year-old white men with GERD at a willingness-to-pay cutoff of $50,000.

Detection of genetic alterations in cfDNA as a possible strategy to monitor the neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is associated with an increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma. Despite the low absolute risk of neoplastic progression of BE, probability increases with the diagnosis of dysplasia. For this reason, BE patients undergo an endoscopy-based surveillance that is, however, burdensome for patients, subject to inter-observer subjectivity, and expensive for national health systems. Thus, less invasive and low-cost diagnostic tools are needed. This study is aimed at finding a simple and reliable method to detect in the circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of BE patients evidence of the molecular instability that accompanies BE carcinogenesis. We chose the loss of heterozygosity analysis because chromosomal region gains or losses have been described in BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, this analysis does not require an a priori knowledge of tumor specific mutations and/or rearrangements. Previous data showed a good consistency between tissue and cfDNA alterations. Here, we report that, in the cfDNA of dysplastic BE patients, the frequency of genetic alterations is statistically higher than that of metaplastic BE patients (P = 0.005). Interestingly, after endoscopic treatment, the alteration frequency dropped, suggesting that cfDNA can also be used to monitor curative effects. Among the used markers, those that map nearby TP53 gene were the most discriminant between metaplastic and dysplastic BE. Furthermore, longitudinal follow-up cases showed that genetic alterations can be found in cfDNA before the appearance of a detectable lesion. Altogether, our data suggest that the use of liquid biopsy could become a minimally invasive diagnostic tool to implement BE patient monitoring.

Role of endoscopy in early oesophageal cancer

Incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased exponentially in the West over the past few decades. Following detection of advanced cancers, 5-year survival rates remain bleak, making identification of early neoplasia, which has a better outcome, important. Detection of subtle oesophageal lesions during endoscopy can be challenging, and advanced imaging techniques might improve their detection. High-definition endoscopy has become a standard in most endoscopy centres, and this technology probably provides better delineation of mucosal features than standard-definition endoscopy. Various image enhancement techniques are now available with the development of new electronics and software systems. Image enhancement with chromoendoscopy using dyes has been a cost-effective option for many years, yet these techniques have been replaced in some contexts by electronic chromoendoscopy, which can be used with the press of a button. However, Lugol's chromoendoscopy remains the gold standard to identify squamous dysplasia. Identification and characterization of subtle neoplastic lesions could help to target biopsies and perform endoscopic resection for better local staging and definitive therapy. In vivo histology with techniques such as confocal endomicroscopy could make endotherapy feasible within a shorter timescale than when relying on histology on tissue samples. Once early neoplasia is identified, treatments include endoscopic resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection or various ablative techniques. Endotherapy has the advantage of being a less invasive technique than oesophagectomy, and is associated with lower mortality and morbidity. Endoscopic ablation therapies have evolved over the past few years, with radiofrequency ablation showing the best results in terms of success rates and complications in Barrett dysplasia.

Barrett esophagus

Although there are many unanswered questions with Barrett esophagus, we can safely say that the incidence is increasing, chemoprevention strategies for the prevention of Barrett metaplasia and its progression to adenocarcinoma may be in the offing, surveillance should be considered for all patients who are discovered to have Barrett esophagus, RFA is the treatment of choice for those with HGD and strongly considered in those with LGD, EMR should be the treatment of choice for patients with nodular high-grade Barrett esophagus, and, finally, vagal-sparing esophagectomy reserved for patients with persistent HGD or a strong suspicion of carcinoma, with consideration of a concomitant fundoplication.

Surveillance in patients with long-segment Barrett's oesophagus: a cost-effectiveness analysis

OBJECTIVE

Surveillance is recommended for Barrett's oesophagus (BO) to detect early oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of surveillance.

DESIGN

We included 714 patients with long-segment BO in a multicentre prospective cohort study and used a multistate Markov model to calculate progression rates from no dysplasia (ND) to low-grade dysplasia (LGD), high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and OAC. Progression rates were incorporated in a decision-analytic model, including costs and quality of life data. We evaluated different surveillance intervals for ND and LGD, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and oesophagectomy for HGD or early OAC and oesophagectomy for advanced OAC. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated in costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY).

RESULTS

The annual progression rate was 2% for ND to LGD, 4% for LGD to HGD or early OAC and 25% for HGD or early OAC to advanced OAC. Surveillance every 5 or 4 years with RFA for HGD or early OAC and oesophagectomy for advanced OAC had ICERs of €5.283 and €62.619 per QALY for ND. Surveillance every five to one year had ICERs of €4.922, €30.067, €32.531, €41.499 and €75.601 per QALY for LGD. EMR prior to RFA was slightly more expensive, but important for tumour staging.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on a Dutch healthcare perspective and assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of €35.000 per QALY, surveillance with EMR and RFA for HGD or early OAC, and oesophagectomy for advanced OAC is cost-effective every 5 years for ND and every 3 years for LGD.

Australian clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal adenocarcinoma

Barrett's esophagus (BE), a common condition, is the only known precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). There is uncertainty about the best way to manage BE as most people with BE never develop EAC and most patients diagnosed with EAC have no preceding diagnosis of BE. Moreover, there have been recent advances in knowledge and practice about the management of BE and early EAC. To aid clinical decision making in this rapidly moving field, Cancer Council Australia convened an expert working party to identify pertinent clinical questions. The questions covered a wide range of topics including endoscopic and histological definitions of BE and early EAC; prevalence, incidence, natural history, and risk factors for BE; and methods for managing BE and early EAC. The latter considered modification of lifestyle factors; screening and surveillance strategies; and medical, endoscopic, and surgical interventions. To answer each question, the working party systematically reviewed the literature and developed a set of recommendations through consensus. Evidence underpinning each recommendation was rated according to quality and applicability.

Aberrant TP53 detected by combining immunohistochemistry and DNA-FISH improves Barrett's esophagus progression prediction: a prospective follow-up study

Barrett's esophagus (BE) goes through a sequence of low grade dysplasia (LGD) and high grade dysplasia (HGD) to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The current gold standard for BE outcome prediction, histopathological staging, can be unreliable. TP53 abnormalities may serve as prognostic biomarkers. TP53 protein accumulation detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) indirectly assesses TP53 mutations. DNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on brush cytology specimens directly evaluates gene locus loss. We evaluated if IHC and FISH are complementary tools to assess TP53 abnormalities and tested their prognostic value in a long-term prospective follow-up of a BE cohort. TP53 IHC on tissue sections and FISH on brush cytology specimens were evaluated for 116 BE patients with respect to the different histological stages. The TP53 abnormalities were further studied in a panel of cell lines representative of the Barrett's carcinogenic sequence. For 91patients, the predictive value of TP53 abnormalities with respect to progression to HGD/EAC was tested after long term follow-up. The frequency of IHC and FISH TP53 abnormalities increased significantly with increasing histological stage (P < 0.001, Chi(2) -test). Combining the techniques detected TP53 abnormalities in 100% of patients with LGD, HGD, and EAC. Multivariate analysis showed that IHC (hazard ratio: 17, 95% CI: 3.2-96, P = 0.001) and FISH (hazard ratio: 7.3, 95% CI: 1.3-41, P = 0.02) were both independent significant predictors of progression. Combining FISH and IHC in assessing TP53 abnormalities leads to an increased detection rate of TP53 aberrations and improved accuracy for predicting BE progression.

Controversies in Barrett esophagus

Barrett esophagus develops when metaplastic columnar epithelium predisposed to develop adenocarcinoma replaces esophageal squamous epithelium damaged by gastroesophageal reflux disease. Although several types of columnar metaplasia have been described in Barrett esophagus, intestinal metaplasia with goblet cells currently is required for a definitive diagnosis in the United States. Studies indicate that the risk of adenocarcinoma for patients with nondysplastic Barrett esophagus is only 0.12% to 0.38% per year, which is substantially lower than previous studies had suggested. Nevertheless, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma continues to rise at an alarming rate. Regular endoscopic surveillance for dysplasia is the currently recommended cancer prevention strategy for Barrett esophagus, but a high-quality study has found no benefit of surveillance in preventing deaths from esophageal cancer. Medical societies currently recommend endoscopic screening for Barrett esophagus in patients with multiple risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma, including chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease, age of 50 years or older, male sex, white race, hiatal hernia, and intra-abdominal body fat distribution. However, because the goal of screening is to identify patients with Barrett esophagus who will benefit from endoscopic surveillance and because such surveillance may not be beneficial, the rationale for screening might be made on the basis of faulty assumptions. Endoscopic ablation of dysplastic Barrett metaplasia has been reported to prevent its progression to cancer, but the efficacy of endoscopic eradication of nondysplastic Barrett metaplasia as a cancer preventive procedure is highly questionable. This review discusses some of these controversies that affect the physicians and surgeons who treat patients with Barrett esophagus. Studies relevant to controversial issues in Barrett esophagus were identified using PubMed and relevant search terms, including Barrett esophagus, ablation, dysplasia, radiofrequency ablation, and endoscopic mucosal resection.

Consistency of a high-grade dysplasia diagnosis in Barrett's oesophagus: a Dutch nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Consistency of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's oesophagus is incompletely known and the clinical course may vary between patients.

AIMS

To evaluate the consistency of high-grade dysplasia diagnosis in a Dutch nationwide cohort and to identify predictors for (re-)detecting high-grade dysplasia or oesophageal adenocarcinoma when ≥ 1 follow-up evaluations after an initial high-grade dysplasia diagnosis were scored with a lower histological grade.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, all patients diagnosed with high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's oesophagus between 1999 and 2008 in the Netherlands were selected using the nationwide histopathology registry. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors for (re-)detecting high-grade dysplasia or oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with ≥ 1 follow-up evaluations scored with a lower grade.

RESULTS

In total, 512 high-grade dysplasia patients were included, of whom 53% had ≥ 1 follow-up evaluations scored with a lower grade. The (re-)detection risk was increased when follow-up was performed in a university hospital and when endoscopic/surgical resection was performed and decreased with an increasing number of follow-up evaluations scored with a lower grade.

CONCLUSION

High-grade dysplasia diagnosis was inconsistent in more than half of patients. (Endoscopic) resection in an expert centre is recommended to (re-)detect high-grade dysplasia or oesophageal adenocarcinoma when an endoscopic follow-up protocol with biopsies repeatedly shows a lower histological grade.