Esophageal preservation in five male patients after endoscopic inner-layer circumferential resection in the setting of superficial cancer: a regenerative medicine approach with a biologic scaffold.

As a result of injury caused by chronic gastroesophageal reflux, Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia and esophageal adenocarcinoma are rapidly increasing problems in the United States. The current standard of care involves esophagectomy, a procedure associated with a high morbidity, a negative impact on long term quality of life, and a mortality rate of 1-6 percent. An entirely endoscopic technique for circumferential, long segment en bloc removal of the mucosa and submucosa with subsequent placement of a biologic scaffold material that promotes a constructive remodeling response and minimizes stricture is described herein. The results of this approach are reported for five patients with 4-24-month follow-up. Restoration of normal mature, K4+/K14+, squamous epithelium, and return to a normal diet without significant dysphagia is reported for all patients. Two of five patients show a small focus of recurrent Barrett's esophagus at the gastroesophageal junction, but the entire length and circumference of the reconstituted esophageal mucosa remains free of disease. This experience provides evidence that a regenerative medicine approach may, for the first time, enable aggressive endoscopic resection of early stage neoplasia without the need for esophagectomy and its associated complications.