Endoscopic powered resection device for residual colonic lesions: the first multicenter, prospective, international clinical study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic resection is standard treatment for adenomatous colorectal lesions. Depending on lesion morphology and resection technique, recurrence can occur. Scarred adenomas are challenging to resect and may require surgical management. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of an endoscopic powered resection (EPR) system for scarred adenomatous colorectal lesions. METHODS: This single-arm, prospective, multicenter study was conducted from January 2018 to January 2021 at 12 sites. Patients with persistent flat or sessile colorectal lesions were enrolled. Primary end points were technical success (the ability of the device to resect the lesion[s] without use of other resection devices without device-related serious adverse events [AEs]) and safety (the occurrence of AEs through 90 days). Secondary end points included endoscopic confirmation of resection completeness, occurrence of colon stenosis, disease persistence, and diagnostic value of resected specimens. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were in the intention-to-treat/safety analysis population. Primary analysis was performed on 45 per-protocol (PP) patients with 48 lesions. All PP patients were solely treated by using the EPR device. Technical success was achieved in 44 (98%) patients. Three (5%) serious AEs occurred: 2 delayed self-limited bleeds and 1 perforation. Nonserious AEs included 4 (6%) cases of mild intraprocedural bleeding. Completeness of resection and histopathologic diagnosis of tissue specimens were achieved in all patients. Twenty-one (46.7%) patients had disease persistence after the first treatment, and there was no colon stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: EPR is safe and effective for benign, persistent, large (>20 mm), scarred colorectal adenomas and should be considered as an alternative treatment in lieu of surgery. A persistence rate of 46.7% indicates that >1 treatment is necessary for effective endoscopic treatment. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT04203667.).

Efficacy of Organ Preservation Strategy by Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy after Non-Curative Endoscopic Resection for Superficial SCC: A Multicenter Western Study.

BACKGROUND: In case of high risk of lymph node invasion after endoscopic resection (ER) of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) can be an alternative to surgery. We assessed long-term clinical outcomes of adjuvant therapy by CRT after non-curative ER for superficial SCC. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study. From April 1999 to April 2018, all consecutive patients who underwent ER for SCC with tumor infiltration beyond the muscularis mucosae were included. RESULTS: A total of 137 ER were analyzed. The overall nodal or metastatic recurrence-free survival rate at 5 years was 88% and specific recurrence-free survival rates at 5 years with and without adjuvant therapy were, respectively, 97.9% and 79.1% (p = 0.011). Independent factors for nodal and/or distal metastatic recurrence were age (HR = 1.075, p = 0.031), Sm infiltration depth > 200 µm (HR = 4.129, p = 0.040), and the absence of adjuvant CRT or surgery (HR = 11.322, p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: In this study, adjuvant therapy is associated with a higher recurrence-free survival rate at 5 years after non-curative ER. This result suggests this approach may be considered as an alternative to surgery in selected patients.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic papillectomy: a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study on 227 patients.

Background: Endoscopic papillectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for benign tumors of the ampulla of Vater or early ampullary carcinoma. However, reported recurrence rates are significant and risk factors for recurrence are unclear. Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic papillectomy and to identify risk factors for recurrence and adverse events. Methods: All patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy at five tertiary referral centers between January 2008 and December 2018 were included. Recurrence was defined as the detection of residue on one of the follow-up endoscopies. Treatment success was defined as the absence of tumor residue on the last follow-up endoscopy. Results: A total of 227 patients were included. The resections were en bloc in 64.8% of cases. The mean lesion size was 20 mm (range: 3-80) with lateral extension in 23.3% of cases. R0 resection was achieved in 45.3% of cases. The recurrence rate was 30.6%, and 60.7% of recurrences were successfully treated with additional endoscopic treatment. Finally, treatment success was achieved in 82.8% of patients with a median follow-up time of 22.3 months. R1 resection, intraductal invasion, and tumor size > 2 cm were associated with local recurrence. Adverse events occurred in 36.6% of patients and included pancreatitis (17.6%), post-procedural hemorrhage (11.0%), perforation (5.2%), and biliary stenosis (2.6%). The mortality rate was 0.9%. Conclusion: Endoscopic papillectomy is an effective and relatively well-tolerated treatment for localized ampullary tumors. In this series, R1 resection, intraductal invasion, and lesion size > 2 cm were associated with local recurrence.

A predictive score of inadequate bowel preparation based on a self-administered questionnaire: PREPA-CO.

INTRODUCTION: Inadequate bowel preparation before colonoscopy has a 20-30% rate and impedes on the quality of the procedure. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive score of inadequate bowel preparation, using a patient questionnaire on potential risk factors. METHODS: In this single center study, consecutive patients with colonoscopy indication were enrolled. The primary outcome was inadequate bowel preparation defined by Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) score <7 or a score ≤1 in any of the 3 colonic segments. RESULTS: A total of 561 patients were included. Inadequate bowel preparation was seen in 25.0% of cases. Seven risk factors were selected into the prediction model of inadequate bowel preparation: diabetes or obesity, irregular physical activity, cirrhosis, use of antidepressants or neuroleptics, use of opiate medication, history of surgery and history of inadequate bowel preparation. The risk score, named PREPA-CO, had an AUROC of 0.621, adequately predicted bowel cleanliness in 68.3% of cases, with a specificity of 75.8% and a negative predictive value of 80.8%. CONCLUSION: We developed a predictive score named "Prepa-Co", allowing the identification of patients at high risk of inadequate bowel preparation. In clinical practice, this score could help tailor the prescription of the preparation to the patient.

VALIDation of the IBD-Disk Instrument for Assessing Disability in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in a French Cohort: The VALIDate Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] are disabling disorders. The IBD-Disability Index [IBD-DI] was developed for quantifying disability in IBD patients but is difficult to use. The IBD-Disk is a visual adaptation of the IBD-DI. It has not been validated yet. The main objectives were to validate the IBD-Disk and to assess the clinical factors associated with a change in the score and its variability over time. METHODS: From May 2018 to July 2019, IBD patients from three university-affiliated hospitals responded twice to both IBD-Disk and IBD-DI at 3-12 month intervals. Validation included concurrent validity, reproducibility, and internal consistency. Mean IBD-Disk scores were compared according to clinical factors. Variability was assessed by comparing scores between baseline and follow-up visits. RESULTS: A total of 447 patients [71% Crohn's disease, 28% ulcerative colitis] were included in the analysis at baseline and 265 at follow-up. There was a good correlation between IBD-Disk and IBD-DI [r = 0.75, p <0.001]. Reproducibility was excellent [intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.90], as well as internal consistency [Cronbach's α = 0.89]. The IBD-Disk was not influenced by IBD type but was associated with female gender and physician global assessment. Extra-intestinal manifestations, history of resection, elevated C-reactive protein and faecal calprotectin also tended to be associated with higher disability. The IBD-Disk score decreased in patients becoming inactive over time. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the IBD-Disk in a large cohort of IBD patients, demonstrating that it is a valid and reliable tool for quantifying disability for both CD and UC.

Long-term follow-up after endoscopic resection for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter Western study.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are the first-line treatments for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study aimed to compare long-term clinical outcome and oncological clearance between EMR and ESD for the treatment of superficial esophageal SCC. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study in five French tertiary care hospitals. Patients treated by EMR or ESD for histologically proven superficial esophageal SCC were included consecutively. RESULTS: Resection was performed for 148 tumors (80 EMR, 68 ESD) in 132 patients. The curative resection rate was 21.3 % in the EMR group and 73.5 % in the ESD group (P < 0.001). The recurrence rate was 23.7 % in the EMR group and 2.9 % in the ESD group (P = 0.002). The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 73.4 % in the EMR group and 95.2 % in the ESD group (P = 0.002). Independent factors for cancer recurrence were resection by EMR (hazard ratio [HR] 16.89, P = 0.01), tumor infiltration depth ≥ m3 (HR 3.28, P = 0.02), no complementary treatment by chemoradiotherapy (HR 7.04, P = 0.04), and no curative resection (HR 11.75, P = 0.01). Risk of metastasis strongly increased in patients with tumor infiltration depth ≥ m3, and without complementary chemoradiotherapy (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic resection of superficial esophageal SCC was safe and efficient. Because it was associated with an increased recurrence-free survival rate, ESD should be preferred over EMR. For tumors with infiltration depths ≥ m3, chemoradiotherapy reduced the risk of nodal or distal metastasis.

Noninvasive liver steatosis quantification using MRI techniques combined with blood markers.

AIMS: To evaluate the accuracy of different techniques of MRI steatosis quantification, based on histological grading and quantification of liver steatosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients (21 with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and two controls) were included. Steatosis was evaluated in liver specimens using histological grading (five grades) and steatosis area (% of liver surface) was computed using an inhouse automated image analysis. The following five MRI quantification techniques were performed: two-point Dixon, three-point Dixon, DUAL, spin echo method and a new technique called multi-echo gradient-echo (MFGRE). Interobserver (two observers) and intersite (three different liver sites) agreements were evaluated for the two best-performing methods. RESULTS: Steatosis area was correlated with steatosis grade: Rs (Spearman coefficient) = 0.82, P value of less than 0.001. The steatosis area was significantly different between S0-S2 and S3-S4 grades: 4.2 + or - 2.4 versus 16.4 + or - 8.9% (P< 0.001). Correlations between the MRI techniques and steatosis area (or grading) were: MFGRE, Rs = 0.72 (0.78); spin echo method, Rs = 0.72 (0.76); DUAL, Rs =0.71 (0.76); two-point Dixon, Rs = 0.71 (0.75); three-point Dixon, Rs = 0.67 (0.77). Interobserver (Ric = 0.99) and intersite (Ric = 0.97) agreements were excellent for the liver steatosis measurement by MFGRE. The noninvasive diagnosis of the steatosis area was improved by adding blood markers like ALT and triglycerides to MFGRE (aR2: 0.805). CONCLUSION: MRI, and in particular the MFGRE method, provides accurate and automatic quantification for the noninvasive evaluation of liver steatosis, either as a single measurement or in combination with blood variables.