Impact of surgery after endoscopically resected high-risk T1 colorectal cancer: results of an emulated target trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with high-risk T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) resected endoscopically who received either additional surgery or surveillance. METHODS: We used data from routine care to emulate a target trial aimed at comparing 2 strategies after endoscopic resection of high-risk T1 CRC: surgery with lymph node dissection (treatment group) versus surveillance alone (control group). All patients from 14 tertiary centers who underwent an endoscopic resection for high-risk T1 CRC between March 2012 and August 2019 were included. The primary outcome was a composite outcome of cancer recurrence or death at 48 months. RESULTS: Of 197 patients included in the analysis, 107 were categorized in the treatment group and 90 were categorized in the control group. From baseline to 48 months, 4 of 107 patients (3.7%) died in the treatment group and 6 of 90 patients (6.7%) died in the control group. Four of 107 patients (3.7%) in the treatment group experienced a cancer recurrence and 4 of 90 patients (4.4%) in the control group experienced a cancer recurrence. After balancing the baseline covariates by inverse probability of treatment weighting, we found no significant difference in the rate of death and cancer recurrence between patients in the 2 groups (weighted hazard ratio, .95; 95% confidence interval, .52-1.75). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that patients with high-risk T1 CRC initially treated with endoscopic resection may not benefit from additional surgery.

Diagnostic endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal lesions with suspected deep invasion.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is potentially a curative treatment for T1 colorectal cancer under certain conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of ESD for lesions with a suspicion of focal deep invasion. METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study, consecutive patients with colorectal neoplasia displaying a focal (< 15 mm) deep invasive pattern (FDIP) that were treated by ESD were included. We excluded ulcerated lesions (Paris III), lesions with distant metastasis, and clearly advanced tumors (tumoral strictures). RESULTS: 124 patients benefited from 126 diagnostic dissection attempts for FDIP lesions. Dissection was feasible in 120/126 attempts (95.2 %) and, where possible, the en bloc and R0 resection rates were 95.8 % (115/120) and 76.7 % (92/120), respectively. Thirty-three resections (26.2 %) were for very low risk tumors, so considered curative, and 38 (30.2 %) were for low risk lesions. Noncurative R0 resections were for lesions with lymphatic or vascular invasion (LVI; n = 8), or significant budding (n = 9), and LVI + budding combination (n = 4). CONCLUSION: ESD is feasible and safe for colorectal lesions with an FDIP ≤ 15 mm. It was curative in 26.6 % of patients and could be a valid option for a further 30.6 % of patients with low risk T1 cancers, especially for frail patients with co-morbidities.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection combined with clip for closure of gastrointestinal fistulas including those refractory to previous therapy.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) fistula is a life-threatening condition and a therapeutic challenge. Endoscopic approaches include mucosal abrasion, clip closure, or stent diversion, with moderate success rates in the long term. We assessed whether fistula endoscopic submucosal dissection with clip closure (FESDC) could lead to complete resolution of fistulas even after failure of previous endoscopic therapy. METHODS: Patients with GI fistulas, including those with previous failed treatment, were retrospectively included. The primary outcome was long-term (> 3 months) success of fistula healing. Secondary outcomes included technical success, safety, and factors associated with FESDC success. RESULTS: 23 patients (13 refractory 57 %) were included. Tight immediate sealing was achieved in 19 patients (83 %; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 61 %-95 %). Long-term closure was achieved in 14 patients (61 %; 95 %CI 39 %-80 %), with median follow-up of 20 months. Complications occurred in two patients (9 %). Previous local malignancy (P = 0.08) and radiotherapy (P = 0.047) were associated with a higher risk of failure. CONCLUSION: This novel FESDC strategy was demonstrated to be safe and feasible for permanent endoscopic closure of GI fistulas. Further studies are warranted to determine the place of this technique in the management of chronic GI fistula.

Recycling of Precolectomy Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents in Chronic Pouch Inflammation Is Associated With Treatment Failure.

Despite improvements in medical management, 10%-15% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) require total proctocolectomy (TPC) with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) for refractory disease.1 Acute pouchitis is the most common post-IPAA inflammatory condition, with cumulative incidence of 45% at 5 years.2 Up to 20%-30% of patients develop chronic pouch inflammation (CPI), categorized as antibiotic responsive, antibiotic refractory, or Crohn's disease-like (CDL).3.

The feasibility of a fully synthetic and self-assembled peptide solution as submucosal injection material: a preliminary animal study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: An injection solution is required to create a submucosal cushion (SMC) for safe endoscopic resection procedures. The aim of this preliminary animal study was to clarify the safety and efficacy of a novel fully synthetic and self-assembled peptide (FSSP) solution as a submucosal injection material (SMIM). METHOD: To compare the submucosal-lifting properties, 0.3% FSSP, Eleview®, sodium hyaluronate acid solution (SHA) and normal saline (NS) were randomly injected using an injection needle into the submucosa of exposed stomach and colon in five living dogs in a blind fashion. The mean height, and volume of SMCs were measured using a digital caliper immediately and 10, 20, 30, and 40 min after injecting each solution. All resected specimens were examined histopathologically. RESULTS: In both the colon and stomach, ANOVA for repeated measures showed the significant interaction between time and solution for the time-dependent change in the height. In the colon, FSSP created significantly higher SMC than NS 20 min after injection (p = .0015) and Eleview® and NS 40 min after injection (p = .0009 and p = .0002). Furthermore, FSSP and SHA tended to maintain height and volume when compared to the other two solutions. In the stomach, FSSP and SHA tended to maintain height and volume when compared to the other two solutions. There were no significant differences between the histopathological finding and the injecting solutions used. CONCLUSION: FSSP seems to be useful as a SMIM for endoscopic resection especially in the colon. Further studies are needed prior to clinical use of FSSP.

Ustekinumab Serum Trough Levels May Identify Suboptimal Responders to Ustekinumab in Crohn's Disease.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum ustekinumab (UST) trough levels and response to induction and maintenance UST treatment in refractory Crohn's Disease (CD) patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective study including CD patients who received UST from September 2015 to January 2017. Patients received 90 mg of UST subcutaneously at weeks 0, 4, and 12, then every 8 weeks. Two cohorts of patients were analyzed: an induction cohort and a maintenance cohort. We evaluated clinical, biological, and imaging/endoscopic response to UST treatment. UST trough levels and anti-UST antibodies were dosed at weeks 12 and 28 in the induction cohort, and at a single time point in the maintenance cohort. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were enrolled in the maintenance cohort. Mean concentrations of UST were 1.88 ± 1.40 µg/mL. UST trough levels were not significantly different in patients with or without clinical, biological, or imaging/endoscopic responses to UST treatment (p > 0.11). Twenty-three consecutive patients were included in the induction cohort. At week 12, mean UST concentrations were 1.45 ± 1.15 µg/mL. Patients with a biological response to UST treatment had significant higher serum UST trough concentration (median 1.72 µg/mL) than non-responders (median 0.56 µg/mL, p = 0.02). A UST trough level ≥ 1.10 µg/mL at week 12 was associated with a biological response to UST treatment at 6 months. CONCLUSION: UST trough levels were associated with a biological response at the end of the induction phase. In patients with low levels of UST, optimization treatment may be necessary to obtain a sustained response.

Radiological Response Is Associated with Better Outcomes and Should Be Considered a Therapeutic Target in Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with a radiological response and to assess the impact of radiological improvement in long-term outcomes in small bowel (SB) Crohn's disease (CD) patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study from June 2011 to June 2017 in the tertiary center, Claude Huriez Hospital in Lille, France. All SB CD patients, who underwent two magnetic resonance enterographies (MRE) 3-12 months apart, with at least 1-year follow-up after the second MRE, were included. Signs of radiological inflammation were identified by two expert radiologists in CD. Patients were classified as radiological responders (RR) and non-responders (NR). Hospitalization rates, adjustment of treatment, and surgical or endoscopic interventions were assessed and compared between RR and NR. Factors associated with a radiological response were also studied using the Cox model. RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen SB CD patients were included with a median follow-up of 17 months (IQR 11.6-28.3). There were 54 (47%) RR and 61 (53%) NR. The risk of surgical or endoscopic intervention was higher in NR than RR (p = 0.04), and the median delay until a surgical or endoscopic intervention was shorter in NR (p = 0.04). Multifocal disease, a hypersignal on diffusion-weighted or dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, a stricture, or a fistula was significantly associated with a decreased probability of a radiological response (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study shows that a radiological response is associated with a decreased risk of surgical or endoscopic intervention and should be considered as a therapeutic target in CD patients.