Safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection for metachronous early cancer or precancerous lesions emerging at the anastomotic site after curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The incidence of metachronous early cancer or precancerous lesions (MECPL) emerging at the anastomotic site (AS) after curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is so low that few study have been conducted to explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of these lesions. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is technically difficult for these lesions because of the presence of severe fibrosis and AS. The aim of this study was to explore the safety and efficacy of ESD for MECPL emerging at the AS after curative surgical resection of CRC. METHODS: The data used in the analysis were retrospectively collected from CICAMS in Beijing China between January 2013 and May 2019 and from all the patients who underwent ESD for MECPL emerging at the AS after curative surgical resection of CRC. The rates of en bloc resection (ER), complete resection (CR), curative resection (CuR) and incidence of complications were analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 11 patients were included. The rates of ER, CR and CuR were 63.6%, 54.5% and 54.5%, respectively. No additional surgery was performed, and no recurrences were found. Bleeding occurred in only one case and there was no perforation after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, ESD is safe and effective in the treatment of MECPL emerging at the AS after curative surgical resection of CRC. Especially for patients with anastomotic recurrence close to anal margin, this method can avoid the risks of reoperation and improve the rate of anal preservation.