Diagnostic strategies of superficial Barrett's esophageal cancer for endoscopic submucosal dissection

The indication of endoscopic submucosal dissection for Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma (BEA) is superficial BEA without lymph node metastasis. The characteristic endoscopic findings of superficial BEA are elevation, depression, and color change. Indigocarmine spreading is useful for the diagnosis of lateral extension. It is a simple and easy enhancement method. The observation of surface and vascular pattern by magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging is also useful for the diagnosis of lateral extension. The incidence of gastric cancer is high in Japan. The majority of early gastric cancer is detected by conventional endoscopy without random biopsy, or target biopsy diagnosis. The background mucosa of gastric cancer has gastritis, and the carcinogenesis based on inflammation is the same as early BEA. However, random biopsy remains the universal standard for early detection of Barrett's high-grade dysplasia and superficial BEA. A surveillance system that does not use random biopsy can and should be established using high-resolution endoscopy with target biopsy.