Publications by authors named "Blam Weusten"

Background Although endoscopic resection (ER) is recommended as first-choice treatment for early esophageal neoplasia, patients with esophageal varices are considered a high-risk group due to an increased bleeding risk. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ER in this specific patient category. Methods We searched for studies reporting on clinical outcomes of ER in presence of esophageal varices, irrespective of study design or follow-up time.

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Background And Aims: Characterization of visible abnormalities in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) can be challenging, especially for inexperienced endoscopists. This results in suboptimal diagnostic accuracy and poor interobserver agreement. Computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) systems may assist endoscopists.

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Background: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of salvage endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for Barrett's neoplasia recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods: Data from patients at 16 centers were collected for a multicenter retrospective study. Patients who underwent at least one RFA treatment for Barrett's esophagus and thereafter underwent further esophageal ESD for neoplasia recurrence were included.

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Background & Aims: Follow-up (FU) strategies after endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) for Barrett's neoplasia do not consider the risk of mortality from causes other than esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). We aimed to evaluate this risk during long-term FU, and to assess whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) can predict mortality.

Methods: We included all patients with successful EET from the nationwide Barrett registry in the Netherlands.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focused on the rate of residual neoplasia in patients with Barrett's neoplasia after endoscopic resection (ER) when there were confirmed tumor-positive vertical resection margins (R1v).
  • Out of 110 patients, 75% had R1v confirmed upon reassessment, and about 50% of those reviewed had residual neoplasia present.
  • The findings suggest that endoscopic reassessment 8-12 weeks post-ER can effectively identify residual neoplasia, aiding in treatment decisions for patients with R1v.
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Background: Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is established as first-choice treatment for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) worldwide, most data are derived from Asian studies. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of ESD for patients with early ESCC in a Western cohort.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with early ESCC amenable to ESD were included from four tertiary referral hospitals in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2017.

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Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is one of healthcare's main contributors to climate change. We aimed to assess healthcare professionals' attitudes and the perceived barriers to implementation of sustainable GI endoscopy.

Methods: The LEAFGREEN web-based survey was a cross-sectional study conducted by the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Green Endoscopy Working Group.

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Background: Computer-aided detection (CADe) systems could assist endoscopists in detecting early neoplasia in Barrett's oesophagus, which could be difficult to detect in endoscopic images. The aim of this study was to develop, test, and benchmark a CADe system for early neoplasia in Barrett's oesophagus.

Methods: The CADe system was first pretrained with ImageNet followed by domain-specific pretraining with GastroNet.

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Background And Aims: Circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (cESD) in the esophagus has been reported to be feasible in small Eastern case series. We assessed the outcomes of cESD in the treatment of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Western countries.

Methods: We conducted an international study at 25 referral centers in Europe and Australia using prospective databases.

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Simethicone is useful as premedication for upper endoscopy because of its antifoaming effects. We aimed to evaluate the effect of timing of simethicone administration on mucosal visibility. In this multicenter, randomized, endoscopist-blinded study, patients scheduled for upper endoscopy were randomized to receive 40 mg simethicone at the following time points prior to the procedure: 20 to 30 minutes (early group), 0 to 10 minutes (late group) or 20 mg simethicone at both time points (split-dose group).

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For non-dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus (BE) patients, guidelines recommend endoscopic surveillance every 3 to 5 years with four-quadrant random biopsies every 2 cm of BE length. Adherence to these guidelines is low in clinical practice. Pooling BE surveillance endoscopies on dedicated endoscopy lists performed by dedicated endoscopists could possibly enhance guideline adherence, detection of visible lesions, and dysplasia detection rates (DDRs).

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MR1 : ESGE recommends the following standards for Barrett esophagus (BE) surveillance:- a minimum of 1-minute inspection time per cm of BE length during a surveillance endoscopy- photodocumentation of landmarks, the BE segment including one picture per cm of BE length, and the esophagogastric junction in retroflexed position, and any visible lesions- use of the Prague and (for visible lesions) Paris classification- collection of biopsies from all visible abnormalities (if present), followed by random four-quadrant biopsies for every 2-cm BE length.Strong recommendation, weak quality of evidence. MR2:  ESGE suggests varying surveillance intervals for different BE lengths.

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Background: Pelvic insufficiency fractures (PIFs) are a late complication of radiotherapy for pelvic malignancies. We evaluated the incidence, radiologic findings, clinical course, and outcome of PIFs in patients treated with neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy ((C)RT) for rectal cancer.

Material And Methods: Data of patients diagnosed with rectal cancer from a large teaching hospital treated from 2002 to 2012 were extracted from the Dutch Cancer Registry.

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Introduction: Endoscopic detection of early neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus is difficult. Computer Aided Detection (CADe) systems may assist in neoplasia detection. The aim of this study was to report the first steps in the development of a CADe system for Barrett's neoplasia and to evaluate its performance when compared with endoscopists.

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Background: Selective lymphadenectomy using sentinel node-navigated surgery (SNNS) might offer a less invasive alternative to esophagectomy in patients with high-risk T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a new treatment strategy, consisting of radical endoscopic resection of the tumor followed by SNNS.

Methods: In this multicenter pilot study, ten patients with a radically resected high-risk pT1cN0 EAC underwent SNNS.

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ESGE suggests conventional endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD; marking and mucosal incision followed by circumferential incision and stepwise submucosal dissection) for most esophageal and gastric lesions. ESGE suggests tunneling ESD for esophageal lesions involving more than two-thirds of the esophageal circumference. ESGE recommends the pocket-creation method for colorectal ESD, at least if traction devices are not used.

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Background: In the West, patients with cervical lymph node metastasis of resectable esophageal cancer at diagnosis are generally precluded from curative treatment. This study prospectively explored the safety and feasibility of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) with three-field lymphadenectomy for these patients.

Methods: Between 2015 and 2021, patients with resectable thoracic esophageal cancer and cervical lymph node metastasis were recruited nationwide in the Netherlands.

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Background: T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) without histological high-risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) can potentially be cured by endoscopic resection, which is associated with significantly lower morbidity, mortality and costs compared to radical surgery. An important prerequisite for endoscopic resection as definite treatment is the histological confirmation of tumour-free resection margins. Incomplete resection with involved (R1) or indeterminate (Rx) margins is considered a strong risk factor for residual disease and local recurrence.

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Background & Aims: Although random histological sampling from the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) after complete eradication of Barrett's esophagus (BE) is recommended, its clinical relevance is questionable. This study aimed to assess the incidence and long-term outcomes of findings from random EGJ biopsies in a nationwide cohort with long-term follow-up.

Methods: We included all patients with successful endoscopic eradication therapy (EET), defined as complete endoscopic eradication of all visible BE (CE-BE), for early BE neoplasia from the Dutch registry.

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Article Synopsis
  • Current surveillance methods for Barrett's esophagus (BE) using standard forceps biopsies (FBs) can miss important dysplasia, prompting a study to evaluate wide-area transepithelial sampling (WATS) as a potential replacement or supplement for FBs.
  • In a multicenter trial involving 172 patients, both WATS and FB techniques were compared for detecting high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), with results showing that WATS could detect some cases missed by FBs.
  • While the combination of WATS and FB showed a significant overall increase in detection rates, no significant difference was found between the two methods when they were used separately for identifying HGD/EAC
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Article Synopsis
  • - Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective treatment for Barrett's esophagus (BE) neoplasia, but it often leads to significant post-procedural pain and dysphagia in patients, with pain reported in 95% of cases lasting for about 14 days.
  • - The severity and duration of post-RFA pain are influenced by factors such as the length of BE, the patient's age, and whether they have undergone prior ablation, while dysphagia occurs in 83% of cases, usually lasting around 13 days.
  • - The study highlights the importance of considering these post-procedural symptoms when discussing treatment options with patients, as RFA can impose a considerable burden on their well
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Background: Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE), a premalignant condition, may be influenced by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We aim to investigate HRQoL in non-dysplastic Barrett Esophagus (NDBE) patients, identify factors associated with a negative illness perception of the diagnosis BE and compare outcomes between patients treated in a specialized BE center with non-expert centers. In this multi-center cross-sectional study, HRQoL of NDBE patients were assessed using the Short Form 36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Cancer worry Scale, and Reflux Disease Questionnaire.

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Background And Aims: Focal cryoballoon ablation (FCBA) is currently being investigated for the treatment of Barrett's esophagus (BE)-related neoplasia in a European multicenter study (Euro-Coldplay study). After inclusion of 28 of 107 patients, the initial dose of 10 seconds was lowered to 8 seconds. The current study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of a single FCBA treatment session with 10 seconds versus 8 seconds.

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