Complete Resection of Barrett's Esophagus Harboring Neoplasia With Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

Patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) have a change in the lining of the esophagus. The normal one the lining of the esophagus changes to a lining similar to that of the intestine. The new mucosa has increased the risk of developing cancer. Usually this type of cancer is detected in a late phase and the patients' survival is low (less than 25% at 5 years). In daily practice, we strive to detect early cancerous lesions in order to treat them and cure them the patients. It has been widely demonstrated in BE patients that if cancer or precursor lesions are detected in an early phase, patients can be cured with endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic treatment of BE is based on endoscopic resection of the lesions / early cancer. After resection, patients have a 20-47% risk of developing cancer later in the remaining Barrett's esophagus. So there is a need to remove the remaining Barrett's mucosa that has not been resected. Several techniques can be used for removal of remaining BE: radiofrequency ablation, argon plasma, cryotherapy or endoscopic resection. The goal is to after resection of cancer and removal of residual Barrett's mucosa, a normal esophageal epithelium will cover the esophagus and dramatically reduce the risk for cancer development. The most widely used strategy for removal of residual Barrett's mucosa is radiofrequency ablation. It is an easy technique to perform, but it is hindered by some factors: 1) it requires several treatment sessions; 2) is associated with complications in 11% of patients, such as severe pain, bleeding, stricture and perforation 3) Barrett's mucosal glands may grow under the new epithelium after treatment; 4) there is no histological assessment of what is ablated; 5) there is a need for continuous follow-up; 6) it there are high costs associated with this strategy; 7) This approach may cause physical and physiological burdens on patients due to continuous follow-up and lack of complete histological assessment. Endoscopic submucosal di