Complications following endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric, esophageal, and colorectal cancer: a review of studies based on nationwide large-scale databases

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a relatively new procedure used for the treatment of early gastrointestinal cancers regardless of the lesion size and configuration, and it has gradually acquired popularity because of its minimally invasive nature. As compared to conventional endoscopic resection, ESD is a more complex procedure and requires a higher level of technical skill. Therefore, it is associated with a higher complication rate. Many previous studies that investigated the complication rates following ESD analyzed data from a limited number of specialized centers, possibly leading to an underestimation of the complication rates. Further, the relationship between hospital volume and complication rates is poorly understood. In the present study, we searched the MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases for studies that have reported on ESD-related complications and the relationship between hospital volume and ESD-related complication rates in a nationwide setting. The complication rates (including perforation, peritonitis, and bleeding) were 3.5% for gastric ESD, 3.3% for esophageal ESD, and 4.6% for colorectal ESD. The studies reviewed showed that ESD-related complication rates were permissibly low, and that there was a linear association between a higher hospital volume and a lower frequency of complications following ESD.