1 Background: With the progress in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) which enables en bloc resection irrespective of the size of lesion, a therapeutic strategy has become feasible whereby ESD is undertaken first, followed by considering additional treatment based on the results of histologic exploration. In this study, we attempted to clarify the clinical results in patients who had undergone additional treatment after endoscopic resection (ER) for cN0 superficial carcinoma. Methods: Of 140 patients diagnosed as having T1a-MM-SM2 lesions of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus who had undergone ER between January 1998 and March 2010, 83 patients who received additional treatment after ER (surgery, 27 pts; chemoradiotherapy [CRT], 56 pts.) were the subjects of this study. The mean duration of observation was 45.1 months. Results: The en bloc resection rate was 86%. There were 5 patients (6%) who had complications associated with ER, including perforation in 2 patients, secondary hemorrhage in a patient and pneumonia in 2 patients. Complications associated with additional treatment were noted in 13 patients (15.6%), including secondary hemorrhage, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and pulmonary infarction in one patient each, pneumonia in 3, grade ≥ 3 myelosuppression in 5, and syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) and radiation pneumonitis in one patient each. Long-term follow-up revealed no local recurrence and no patients who experienced late toxicity due to CRT. The tumor recurred in 4 patients, the site of recurrent lesion being the mediastinum in 3 patients and the cervical lymph node in one patient, of whom 2 patients died of the primary disease. The 5-year survival rate was 88.4%. Conclusions: Endoscopic resection plus additional treatment for superficial carcinoma of the esophagus did not entail the development of any serious complications; thus, such combined treatment was safe and feasible. The long-term follow-up results were fairly gratifying, and ER with subsequent additional treatment is considered to be valid for patients with cN0 superficial carcinoma of the esophagus. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
On secondary hemorrhage after parturition