Comparison of long-term outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgery for esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become accepted as the standard treatment for early gastric cancer. However, comparative outcomes of ESD and surgery have not been evaluated for adenocarcinoma in the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). We investigated the long-term outcomes of ESD compared with those of surgery for adenocarcinoma in the EGJ.

Methods: Patients who underwent ESD or surgery for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma between 2005 and 2010 and who met the absolute and expanded criteria for endoscopic resection were eligible. Clinical features and treatment outcomes were retrospectively reviewed using medical records.

Results: Of the 79 patients included, 40 underwent ESD and 39 underwent surgery. During the median follow-up period of 60.9 months (range, 13.1-125.4 months), the 5-year overall survival rates were 93.9% and 97.3% for the ESD and surgery groups, respectively (p = 0.376). There were no gastric cancer-related deaths in either group. Adverse events occurred in 11 patients (13.9%) overall, and the incidence of treatment-related adverse events was similar between the two groups (10.0% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.308).

Conclusions: ESD may be an effective alternative to surgery for the treatment of early gastric cancer in the EGJ based on the comparable long-term outcomes.