cT1N0M0 Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Invades the Muscularis Mucosa or Submucosa: Comparison of the Results of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection and Esophagectomy

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) combined with selective adjuvant chemoradiotherapy may be a new treatment option for cT1N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) invading muscularis mucosa or submucosa (pT1a-M3/pT1b). We aim to report the effectiveness of this treatment by comparing the results of esophagectomy. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 72 patients with pT1a-M3/pT1b ESCC who received ESD combined with selective adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (n = 40) and esophagectomy (n = 32). The main outcome comparison was overall survival (OS). The secondary outcomes were treatment-related events, including operation time, complication rate, and length of hospital stay. Disease-specific survival (DSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were also evaluated. Results: There were no significant differences in the rates of OS, DSS, and PFS between the two groups (median follow-up time: 49.2 months vs. 50.9 months); these were also the same in the subgroup analysis of pT1b ESCC patients. In the ESD group, the procedure time, overall complication rates, and length of hospital stay were significantly reduced. However, the metachronous recurrence rate was significantly higher. In a multivariate analysis, tumor depth and R0 resection were the independent factors associated with OS. Conclusions: ESD combined with selective adjuvant chemoradiotherapy can be an alternative treatment to esophagectomy for cT1N0M0 ESCC invading muscularis mucosa or submucosa.