Guidelines for endoscopic submucosal dissection and endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer (second edition).

In response to the rapid and wide acceptance and use of endoscopic treatments for early gastric cancer, the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society, in collaboration with the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association, produced "Guidelines for Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection and Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Early Gastric Cancer" in 2014, as a set of basic guidelines in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine. At the time, a number of statements had to be established by consensus (the lowest evidence level), as evidence levels remained low for many specific areas in this field. However, in recent years, the number of well-designed clinical studies has been increasing. Based on new findings, we have issued the revised second edition of the above guidelines that cover the present state of knowledge. These guidelines are divided into the following seven categories: indications, preoperative diagnosis, techniques, evaluation of curability, complications, long-term postoperative surveillance, and histology.

Scheduled second-look endoscopy is not recommended after endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric neoplasms (the SAFE trial): a multicentre prospective randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effectiveness of second-look endoscopy (SLE) at preventing bleeding after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). DESIGN: A multicentre prospective randomised controlled non-inferiority trial was conducted at five referral institutions across Japan. Patients with a solitary gastric neoplasm were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were previous oesophagogastric surgery or radiation therapy; perforation and the administration of antithrombotics, steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Patients were assigned to the SLE group or the non-SLE group by a computer-generated random sequence after ESD and were treated perioperatively with a proton pump inhibitor. SLE was performed one day after ESD. The primary endpoint was post-ESD bleeding, defined as an endoscopically proven haemorrhage. The trial had the power to detect a non-inferiority criterion of 7% between the groups. RESULTS: From February 2012 to February 2013, 130 and 132 patients were assigned to the SLE and the non-SLE groups, respectively. All patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis of the primary endpoint. Post-ESD bleeding occurred in seven patients with (5.4%) SLE and five patients with (3.8%) non-SLE (risk difference--1.6% (95% CI -6.7 to 3.5); pnon-inferiority<0.001), meeting the non-inferiority criterion. All 12 patients with post-ESD bleeding and one patient with a delayed perforation were successfully managed with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: SLE after gastric ESD is not routinely recommended because it does not contribute to the prevention of post-ESD bleeding for patients with an average bleeding risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN-CTR000007170.

Successful prevention of stenosis after circumferential endoscopic resection of esophageal cancer.

Circumferential resection of a >5-cm longitudinal mucosal defect following esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a risk factor for refractory stenosis. Circumferential ESD was performed in 3 patients with 64, 69, and 70 mm longitudinal mucosal defects. A local steroid injection was used to treat the postoperative ulcer, followed by an oral steroid. In all three cases, the ulcer healed without the need for endoscopic dilation. A combination of local injection and oral steroids effectively prevented esophageal stenosis in patients with high-risk stenosis after ESD.

Initial experience of tofacitinib for treating refractory moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an incurable, chronic inflammatory disease of the large bowel whose etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been comprehensively explained. Tofacitinib is a small molecule Janus kinase inhibitor that was introduced for treating refractory UC. We aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib for the treatment of 18 patients with UC. Continuous treatment rates were 50, 38, and 33% at 8, 24, and 52 weeks, respectively. Overall, 83.3% of these patients showed tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibody failure status. When the effective status was defined as a Lichtiger index (LI) that decreased by 3 points or more or was less than 4 points and remission status was defined as an LI less than 4 points, the effective and remission rates (%) at 2, 8, and 16 weeks were 55.5 (10/18) and 22.2 (4/18), 38.8 (7/18) and 33.3 (6/18), and 38.8 (7/18) and 38.8 (7/18), respectively. Background characteristics of 2-week responders and non-responders were compared. C-reactive protein level in responders was significantly lower than that in non-responders, and the hemoglobin level in responders was significantly higher than that in non-responders. This study provides preliminary results of the effectiveness of tofacitinib even for TNF antibody and tacrolimus failure patients.

Complete response of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma achieved by sorafenib dose re-escalation after failure of long-term low-dose-sorafenib treatment combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: a case report.

Few reports have described dose re-escalation after long-term low-dose sorafenib leading to good outcomes. Here, we report the case of an 80-year-old woman with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who achieved complete response from sorafenib dose re-escalation after the failure of long-term low-dose sorafenib treatment combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Sorafenib therapy was initiated at 400 mg once daily due to old age and low platelet count. 5 months later, this dose was reduced to 200 mg once daily because of adverse events. Best radiological antitumor response by sorafenib treatment alone was judged as stable disease according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. 1 year later, she showed progressive disease owing to the progression of intrahepatic lesions. She received combination therapy with low-dose sorafenib (200 mg every other day) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, which proved relatively effective for three and a half years. Antitumor response by the fourth transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and subsequent low-dose sorafenib was clearly progressive disease. At that time, sorafenib-related adverse events were well-controlled. Sorafenib dose was re-escalated to 200 mg once daily. After this re-escalation, tumor markers declined rapidly, and adverse events remained tolerable. 4 months later, complete response was achieved.

Accuracy of carbon dioxide insufflation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using double-balloon endoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Retrograde cholangiopancreatography using double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (DBERC) is a valuable technique to treat biliary stone and jejunobiliary anastomotic stenosis in patients with altered gastrointestinal anatomy. The accurate selection of the route at the anastomosis branch is one of the most important factors in reaching the target in a timely manner. AIM: To determine the accuracy of carbon dioxide insufflation enterography (CDE) at the branch for selecting the correct route during DBERC. METHODS: We enrolled 52 consecutive patients scheduled for DBERC at our institution from June 2015 to November 2017. Route selection via two methods (visual observation and CDE) was performed in each patient. We determined the correct rate of route selection using CDE. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients had a jejunojejunal anastomosis and 19 patients had a gastrojejunal anastomosis. The therapeutic target region was reached in 50 patients. The mean procedure times from the teeth to the target (total insertion time), from the teeth to the branch, and from the branch to the target, and the mean total examination time were 15.2, 5.0, 8.2, and 60.3 min, respectively. The rate of correct route selection using visual observation and CDE were 36/52 (69.2%) and 48/52 (92.3%), respectively (P = 0.002). The rate of correct route selection using CDE in patients with a jejunojejunal anastomosis was 29/33 (87.8%), and the rate in patients with a gastrojejunal anastomosis was 19/19 (100%). CONCLUSION: CDE is helpful in selecting the route at the branch in the anastomosis for more timely access to the target in patients with altered gastrointestinal anatomy undergoing DBERC.

Refractory Ulcerative Colitis Improved by Scheduled Combination Therapy of Vedolizumab and Granulocyte and Monocyte Adsorptive Apheresis.

Granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GMA) is occasionally introduced as an alternative combination therapy after loss of response to biologics in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. However, there have been no reports of the concomitant use of vedolizumab (VDZ) and GMA for the initial induction of UC. A 20-year-old man with refractory UC was admitted for recrudescence. VDZ monotherapy had previously been introduced but was ineffective. Therefore, he received scheduled combination of VDZ and GMA and achieved clinical remission. The combination of two different approaches to inhibit the migration of leukocytes into the inflamed tissue led to satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for stomach neoplasms.

Recent advances in techniques of therapeutic endoscopy for stomach neoplasms are rapidly achieved. One of the major topics in this field is endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). ESD is a new endoscopic technique using cutting devices to remove the tumor by the following three steps: injecting fluid into the submucosa to elevate the tumor from the muscle layer, pre-cutting the surrounding mucosa of the tumor, and dissecting the connective tissue of the submucosa beneath the tumor. So the tumors are resectable in an en bloc fashion, regardless of the size, shape, coexisting ulcer, and location. Indication for ESD is strictly confined by two aspects: the possibility of nodal metastases and technical difficulty, which depends on the operators. Although long-term outcome data are still lacking, short-term outcomes of ESD are extremely favourable and laparotomy with gastrectomy is replaced with ESD in some parts of therapeutic strategy for early gastric cancer.

Retroperitoneal lymphangioma with a duodenal lesion in an adult.

A multilocular-cystic and cavernous, retroperitoneal tumor was found in a 40-year-old man whose past medical history was unremarkable. On admission, he complained of a large and still growing intra-abdominal mass associated with dull pain and a low-grade fever. Laboratory findings revealed leukocytosis and C-reactive protein elevation, compatible with inflammation of the tumor. Percutaneous aspiration of the tumor was performed under transabdominal ultrasonographic guidance, and continuous drainage of fluid from within the tumor ameliorated his symptoms. From preoperative examinations, including radiological imaging, fluid aspiration, and endoscopy with biopsy, a diagnosis of retroperitoneal lymphangioma was made. Laparotomy revealed extensive adhesions between the tumor and both the duodenum and the pancreatic head. A pancreaticoduodenectomy was therefore performed. At 3-year follow-up, there was no sign of recurrence. Retroperitoneal lymphangioma is an uncommon disorder, and the cavernous type is extremely rare. The duodenal lesion was an important feature of the present case, and endoscopic biopsy of this lesion facilitated precise preoperative diagnosis of retroperitoneal lymphangioma.