Outcomes of radiofrequency ablation by manual versus self-sizing circumferential balloon catheters for the treatment of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus: a multicenter comparative cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the preferred ablative modality for treating dysplastic Barrett's esophagus. The recently introduced self-sizing circumferential ablation catheter eliminates the need for a sizing balloon. Although it enhances efficiency, outcomes have not been compared with the previous manual-sizing catheter. We evaluated the comparative safety and efficacy of these 2 ablation systems in a large, multicenter cohort. METHODS: Patients undergoing RFA at 3 tertiary care centers from 2005 to 2018 were included. Circumferential RFA was performed in a standard fashion, followed by focal RFA as needed. Outcomes were compared between the self-sizing and manual-sizing groups. The primary outcome was the rate of adverse events, including strictures, perforation, and bleeding. Secondary outcomes were procedure time and treatment efficacy, as assessed by rates and time to complete eradication of dysplasia (CE-D) and intestinal metaplasia (CE-IM). RESULTS: Three hundred eighteen patients were included, 90 (28.3%) treated with the self-sizing catheter and 228 (71.7%) with the manual-sizing catheter. Twenty-one patients (6.6%) developed strictures (8 [8.9%] in the self-sizing group and 13 [5.7%] in the manual-sizing group, P = .32). Of the self-sizing strictures, 75% occurred at the 12J dose before widespread adoption of the current 10J treatment standard. One patient developed bleeding, and no perforations were encountered. Procedure time was significantly shorter in the self-sizing group. No significant differences were observed in rates of and time to CE-D and CE-IM. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that both systems are comparable in safety and efficacy. The use of the self-sizing system may enhance the efficiency of RFA for treating dysplastic Barrett's esophagus.

Development and Pilot Testing of Decision Aid for Shared Decision Making in Barrett's Esophagus With Low-Grade Dysplasia.

GOALS: To develop an encounter decision aid [Barrett's esophagus Choice (BE-Choice)] for patients and clinicians to engage in shared decision making (SDM) for management of BE with low-grade dysplasia (BE-LGD) and assess its impact on patient-important outcomes. BACKGROUND: Currently, there are 2 strategies for management of BE-LGD-endoscopic surveillance and ablation. SDM can help patients decide on their preferred management option. STUDY: Phase-I: Patients and clinicians were engaged in a user-centered design approach to develop BE-Choice. Phase-I included review of evidence on BE-LGD management, observation of usual care (UC), creation, field-testing, and iterative development of BE-Choice in clinical settings. Phase-II: Impact of BE-Choice on patient-important outcomes (patient knowledge, decisional conflict, and patient involvement in decision making) was assessed using a controlled before-after study design (UC vs. BE-Choice). RESULTS: Phase-I: Initial prototype was designed with observation of 8 clinical encounters. With field-testing, 3 successive iterations were made before finalizing BE-Choice. BE-Choice was paper based and fulfilled the qualifying criteria of International patient decision aid standards. Phase II: 29 patients were enrolled, 8 to UC and 21 to BE-Choice. Compared with UC, use of BE-Choice improved patient knowledge (90.4% vs. 70.5%; P=0.03), decisional comfort (89.6 vs. 71.9; P=0.01), and patient involvement (OPTION score: 27.1 vs. 19.2; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: BE-Choice is a feasible and effective decision aid to promote SDM in the management of BE-LGD. On pilot testing, BE-Choice had promising impact on patient-important outcomes. A larger multicenter trial is needed to confirm our results and promote widespread use of BE-Choice.

Accurate Nonendoscopic Detection of Barrett's Esophagus by Methylated DNA Markers: A Multisite Case Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: Nonendoscopic Barrett's esophagus (BE) screening may help improve esophageal adenocarcinoma outcomes. We previously demonstrated promising accuracy of methylated DNA markers (MDMs) for the nonendoscopic diagnosis of BE using samples obtained from a capsule sponge-on-string (SOS) device. We aimed to assess the accuracy of these MDMs in an independent cohort using a commercial grade assay. METHODS: BE cases had ≥ 1 cm of circumferential BE with intestinal metaplasia; controls had no endoscopic evidence of BE. The SOS device was withdrawn 8 minutes after swallowing, followed by endoscopy (the criterion standard). Highest performing MDMs from a previous study were blindly assessed on extracted bisulfite-converted DNA by target enrichment long-probe quantitative amplified signal (TELQAS) assays. Optimal MDM combinations were selected and analyzed using random forest modeling with in silico cross-validation. RESULTS: Of 295 patients consented, 268 (91%) swallowed the SOS device; 112 cases and 89 controls met the pre-established inclusion criteria. The median BE length was 6 cm (interquartile range 4-9), and 50% had no dysplasia. The cross-validated sensitivity and specificity of a 5 MDM random forest model were 92% (95% confidence interval 85%-96%) and 94% (95% confidence interval 87%-98%), respectively. Model performance was not affected by age, gender, or smoking history but was influenced by the BE segment length. SOS administration was well tolerated (median [interquartile range] tolerability 2 [0, 4] on 10 scale grading), and 95% preferred SOS over endoscopy. DISCUSSION: Using a minimally invasive molecular approach, MDMs assayed from SOS samples show promise as a safe and accurate nonendoscopic test for BE prediction.

Highly Discriminant Methylated DNA Markers for the Non-endoscopic Detection of Barrett's Esophagus.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive methods have been described to detect Barrett's esophagus (BE), but are limited by subjectivity and suboptimal accuracy. We identified methylated DNA markers (MDMs) for BE in tissue and assessed their accuracy on whole esophagus brushings and capsule sponge samples. METHODS: Step 1: Unbiased whole methylome sequencing was performed on DNA from BE and normal squamous esophagus (SE) tissue. Discriminant MDM candidates were validated on an independent patient cohort (62 BE cases, 30 controls) by quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP). Step 2: Selected MDMs were further evaluated on whole esophageal brushings (49 BE cases, 36 controls). 35 previously sequenced esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) MDMs were also evaluated. Step 3: 20 BE cases and 20 controls were randomized to swallow capsules sponges (25 mm, 10 pores or 20 pores per inch (ppi)) followed endoscopy. DNA yield, tolerability, and mucosal injury were compared. Best MDM assays were performed on this cohort. RESULTS: Step 1: 19 MDMs with areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) >0.85 were carried forward. Step 2: On whole esophageal brushings, 80% of individual MDM candidates showed high accuracy for BE (AUCs 0.84-0.94). Step 3: The capsule sponge was swallowed and withdrawn in 98% of subjects. Tolerability was superior with the 10 ppi sponge with minimal mucosal injury and abundant DNA yield. A 2-marker panel (VAV3 + ZNF682) yielded excellent BE discrimination (AUC = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Identified MDMs discriminate BE with high accuracy. BE detection appears safe and feasible with a capsule sponge. Corroboration in larger studies is warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02560623.