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F R O M T H E S H O W F L O O R
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ndoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) is much preferred to
esophagectomy for the early treatment of esophageal cancers. ESD
is a well-established technique in Eastern medicine, but it's still an
emerging technology in the United States. That might soon change.
"ESD is superior to what's being currently offered in many facilities,"
says Christopher Thompson, MD, MHES, the director of therapeutic
endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and associate professor at
Harvard Medical School in Boston. "It's a big deal, and just a matter of
time until more physicians learn how to perform it."
Speaking to Outpatient Surgery at Digestive Disease Week, Dr.
Thompson says ESD is a very effective treatment for early malignancies.
It results in great cure rates with low risks of complications, he says.
ESD is a natural orifice procedure performed with an endoscope
placed through the mouth. Surgeons mark around mucosal-based
lesions — cancer in the lining of the esophagus — tunnel underneath,
lift up the defect and resect it without fully cutting through the esopha-
gus.
"It does not involve a transluminal approach into the abdominal cavi-
ty," says Dr. Thompson. "It's often called a 'third-space procedure,'
THERAPEUTIC ENDOSCOPY
Surgeon Touts Endoscopic Treatment of Esophageal Cancer
Olympus
Medical
HOT SPOT Experts gathered at the Olympus booth to discuss the exciting potential of endoscopic submucosal dissection.
