Publications by authors named "Kenneth K Wang"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between systemic bile acids and the progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE), particularly their role in advancing stages that may lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).
  • It involved profiling serum bile acids in 141 subjects (both with and without BE) and examined how various factors, like diet and age, influenced bile acid levels, finding significant differences between non-BE and BE stages.
  • Results indicate that higher levels of specific bile acids, especially cholic acid, are linked to advanced BE conditions and gene expression changes, suggesting that they may serve as potential biomarkers or targets for future therapeutic strategies.
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Introduction: Early neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) is often treated with endoscopic therapy. Although effective, some patients are refractory to therapy or recur after apparent eradication of the BE. The goal of this study was to determine whether genomic alterations within the treated BE may be associated with persistent or recurrent disease.

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Introduction: Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) combining endoscopic resection (ER) with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) followed by ablation is the standard of care for the treatment of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE). We have previously shown comparable rates of complete remission of intestinal metaplasia (CRIM) with both approaches. However, data comparing recurrence after CRIM are lacking.

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Article Synopsis
  • Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) is the standard treatment for T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma, but there's limited data on its effectiveness for high-risk cases.
  • A study compared outcomes of low-risk and high-risk T1a EAC patients, finding that high-risk patients had a significantly higher rate of delayed extraesophageal metastases, but no difference in intraluminal EAC recurrence or overall survival.
  • The findings highlight the need for careful discussions about treatment options for high-risk T1a EAC patients and the importance of further research in this area.
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The progression of precancerous lesions to malignancy is often accompanied by increasing complexity of chromosomal alterations but how these alterations arise is poorly understood. Here we perform haplotype-specific analysis of chromosomal copy-number evolution in the progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) on multiregional whole-genome sequencing data of BE with dysplasia and microscopic EAC foci. We identify distinct patterns of copy-number evolution indicating multigenerational chromosomal instability that is initiated by cell division errors but propagated only after p53 loss.

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Background And Aims: Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) is guideline endorsed for management of early-stage (T1) esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Patients with baseline high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and EAC are at highest risk of recurrence after successful EET, but limited data exist on long-term (>5 year) recurrence outcomes. Our aim was to assess the incidence and predictors of long-term recurrence in a multicenter cohort of patients with T1 EAC treated with EET.

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Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) is an advanced endoscopic imaging tool that can improve dysplasia detection in Barrett's esophagus (BE). However, VLE scans generate 1200 cross-sectional images that can make interpretation difficult. The impact of a new VLE artificial intelligence algorithm called Intelligent Real-time Image Segmentation (IRIS) is not well-characterized.

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Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is common in the developing world with decreasing incidence in developed countries and carries significant morbidity and mortality. Major risk factors for ESCC development include significant use of alcohol and tobacco. Screening for ESCC can be recommended in high-risk populations living in highly endemic regions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on patients with acute esophageal necrosis (AEN) at Mayo Clinic locations, collecting data on clinical characteristics, endoscopic findings, and pathology over a span of 25 years.
  • Among the 79 AEN patients, common symptoms included vomiting blood and abdominal pain, with a significant number experiencing shock, leading to a 30-day mortality rate of 24% and 90-day mortality of 31.6%.
  • Endoscopic evaluations revealed varying degrees of esophageal involvement, with nearly half of follow-up patients showing resolution of AEN, although some developed complications like esophageal strictures.
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Background & Aims: Despite the significant advances made in the diagnosis and treatment of Barrett's esophagus (BE), there is still a need for standardized definitions, appropriate recognition of endoscopic landmarks, and consistent use of classification systems. Current controversies in basic definitions of BE and the relative lack of anatomic knowledge are significant barriers to uniform documentation. We aimed to provide consensus-driven recommendations for uniform reporting and global application.

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Background & Aims: Duodenoscope-associated transmission of infections has raised questions about efficacy of endoscope reprocessing using high-level disinfection (HLD). Although ethylene oxide (ETO) gas sterilization is effective in eradicating microbes, the impact of ETO on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) imaging equipment remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to compare the changes in EUS image quality associated with HLD vs HLD followed by ETO sterilization.

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Background & Aims: Recommended surveillance intervals after complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CE-IM) after endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) are largely not evidence-based. Using recurrence rates in a multicenter international Barrett's esophagus (BE) CE-IM cohort, we aimed to generate optimal intervals for surveillance.

Methods: Patients with dysplastic BE undergoing EET and achieving CE-IM from prospectively maintained databases at 5 tertiary-care centers in the United States and the United Kingdom were included.

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Background: Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) is an advanced imaging modality used in Barrett's esophagus (BE) surveillance. VLE image interpretation is challenged by subtle grayscale image variation across a large amount of data. Training in VLE interpretation is not standardized.

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Background & Aims: Prediction of progression risk in Barrett's esophagus (BE) may enable personalized management. We aimed to assess the adjunct value of a tissue systems pathology test (TissueCypher) performed on paraffin-embedded biopsy tissue, when added to expert pathology review in predicting incident progression, pooling individual patient-level data from multiple international studies METHODS: Demographics, clinical features, the TissueCypher risk class/score, and progression status were analyzed. Conditional logistical regression analysis was used to develop multivariable models predicting incident progression with and without the TissueCypher risk class (low, intermediate, high).

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Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the first-line treatment for flat Barrett's esophagus (BE) with dysplasia, however its role for persistent Barrett's esophagus (PBE) is unclear. PBE requires additional RFA sessions or application of cryotherapy to improve therapeutic response. We performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating cases of PBE treated by endoscopic eradication programs, with and without spray cryotherapy, and evaluated their safety and efficacy.

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Background & Aims: Despite extensive Barrett's esophagus (BE) screening efforts, most patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) present de novo. It is unclear how much of this problem is the result of insensitivity or poor applications of current screening guidelines. We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of guidelines by determining the proportion of prevalent EAC cases that meet the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) or the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines for BE screening and determine whether changes to criteria would enhance detection.

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Introduction: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is an aggressive cancer, associated with reflux esophagitis and intestinal metaplasia (IM). One underlying biological mechanism, which possibly drives the development of EAC, is the dysregulated expression of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs).

Aim: To investigate if local delivery of Noggin, a BMP antagonist, reduced EAC.

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Background And Aims: Strong evidence supports the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the management of dysplastic/neoplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE). Recently, the efficacy of the cryoballoon ablation (CBA) system was demonstrated in multicenter cohort studies. We aimed to assess the comparative effectiveness and safety of these 2 ablation modalities for endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) in a cohort study.

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Background And Aims: Seattle protocol forceps biopsy sampling (FB) is currently recommended for surveillance in Barrett's esophagus (BE) but limited by sampling error and lack of compliance. Wide-area transepithelial sampling with 3-dimensional analysis (WATS3D; CDx Diagnostics, Suffern, NY, USA) is reported to increase BE dysplasia detection. We assessed the incremental yield and clinical significance of WATS3D for dysplasia detection over FB in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Photodynamic priming (), a collateral effect of photodynamic therapy, can transiently alter the tumor microenvironment (TME) beyond the cytotoxic zone. Studies have demonstrated that increases tumor permeability and modulates immune-stimulatory effects by inducing immunogenic cell death, via the release of damage-associated molecular patterns and tumor-associated antigens. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest of cancers with a stubborn immunosuppressive TME and a dense stroma, representing a challenge for current molecular targeted therapies often involving macromolecules.

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 Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is technically challenging, difficult to learn, and carries a substantial risk of perforation, all of which remain significant barriers to its adoptability. We aimed to determine whether use of a novel scissor-type knife improved efficacy and safety among novice performers of ESD.  Following a brief didactic session on ESD, participants performed ESD of two lesions (2 cm diameter) in an ex vivo porcine gastric model.

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