Patient preferences for the management of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus.

Surgical esophagectomy, intensive endoscopic surveillance, and mucosal ablative techniques, particularly photodynamic therapy (PDT), have been proposed as possible management strategies for Barrett's high-grade dysplasia (HGD). Each option has advantages and disadvantages, and no firm consensus exists for the preferred strategy at this time. The purpose of this pilot study was to gain insight into patient preferences in Barrett's HGD management. Twenty patients with Barrett's esophagus were enrolled in a questionnaire study. The three possible management options for Barrett's HGD including each option's potential benefits and harms were presented to the subject in a formalized presentation that was designed to be easily comprehendible by patients. The subjects rated each strategy using a health-related quality of life instrument and chose one of the management strategies assuming they were found to have HGD. The average feeling thermometer rating scale values for the management strategies were as follows: endoscopic surveillance, 79; esophagectomy, 46; and PDT, 60. When asked to choose a strategy, 14 (70%) chose endoscopic surveillance, 3 (15%) chose esophagectomy, and 3 (15%) chose PDT. These findings were statistically significant (P = 0.0024). The patients who chose endoscopic surveillance felt "comfortable" with endoscopy, while the most common concern about esophagectomy, and PDT was the risk of death and the unknown risk of recurrence, respectively. In summary, when patients with Barrett's esophagus were presented with three options to manage HGD, the majority chose endoscopic surveillance. Familiarity with endoscopic surveillance was the predominant reason for the choice.