Open AccessSixteen‐year follow‐up of Barrett's esophagus, endoscopically treated with argon plasma coagulation
Author(s) -
Milashka Mariana,
Calomme Annabelle,
Van Laethem Jean Luc,
Blero Daniel,
Eisendrath Pierre,
Le Moine Olivier,
Devière Jacques
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ueg journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.667
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 2050-6414
pISSN - 2050-6406
DOI - 10.1177/2050640614549095
Subject(s) - argon plasma coagulation , medicine , dysplasia , esophagus , barrett's esophagus , gastroenterology , stratified squamous epithelium , cancer , adenocarcinoma , epithelium , incidence (geometry) , endoscopy , surgery , pathology , physics , optics
Objective The thermal destruction of non‐dysplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE) and its replacement by squamous epithelium is an attractive, but unproven strategy to avoid further development of dysplasia or cancer. The goal of this study was to estimate the persistence of restoration of squamous epithelium and the risk of cancer in BE that was eradicated using argon plasma coagulation (APC) in the absence of high‐grade dysplasia, 16 years after its application. Design We followed 32 patients with BE who underwent eradication of metaplastic epithelium using APC, up to 16 years later. Results At the end of the initial treatment, 25 of 32 patients (78%) had complete endoscopic eradication, there was partial squamous re‐epithelialization in four patients (13%) and it was absent in three patients (9%). We observed buried metaplastic glands under new squamous epithelium in 6 of the 25 patients who had complete endoscopic eradication. At follow‐up, sustained complete endoscopic eradication was observed in 16 of 32 patients (50%), partial eradication in 11 of 32 patients (35%); there were two patients (6%) lost to follow‐up and three patients (9%) developed esophageal adenocarcinoma. Two of the latest cases arose from the buried glands under neosquamous epithelium after complete eradication and one arose from a small remaining Barrett's segment. Conclusions We observed long‐term re‐epithelialization in the majority of patients who had previously had complete eradication of Barrett's esophagus. This did not provide protection against cancer development, as the incidence of cancers arising from buried glands or from residual Barrett's esophagus was similar to that observed in patients undergoing no specific treatment.