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Background Endoscopic ablation to treat Barrett’s esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) is associated with a decreased incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic spray cryotherapy (CRYO) demonstrates promising preliminary data. Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of CRYO in BE with HGD. Design Multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Setting Nine academic and community centers; treatment period, 2007 to 2009. Patients Subjects with HGD confirmed by 2 pathologists. Previous EMR was allowed if residual HGD remained. Interventions CRYO with follow-up biopsies. Main Outcome Measurements Complete eradication of HGD with persistent low-grade dysplasia, complete eradication of all dysplasia with persistent nondysplastic intestinal metaplasia, and complete eradication of all intestinal metaplasia. Results Ninety-eight subjects (mean age 65.4 years, 83% male) with BE and HGD (mean length 5.3 cm) underwent 333 treatments (mean 3.4 treatments per subject). There were no esophageal perforations. Strictures developed in 3 subjects. Two subjects reported severe chest pain managed with oral narcotics. One subject was hospitalized for bright red blood per rectum. Sixty subjects had completed all planned CRYO treatments and were included in the efficacy analysis. Fifty-eight subjects (97%) had complete eradication of HGD, 52 (87%) had complete eradication of all dysplasia with persistent nondysplastic intestinal metaplasia, and 34 (57%) had complete eradication of all intestinal metaplasia. Subsquamous BE was found in 2 subjects (3%). Limitations Nonrandomized, retrospective study with no control group, short follow-up (10.5 months), lack of centralized pathology, and use of surrogate outcome for decreased cancer risk. Conclusions CRYO is a safe and well-tolerated therapy for BE and HGD. Short-term results suggest that CRYO is highly effective in eradicating HGD.

Background Few options exist for patients with localized esophageal cancer ineligible for conventional therapies. Endoscopic spray cryotherapy with low-pressure liquid nitrogen has demonstrated efficacy in this setting in early studies. Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of cryotherapy in esophageal carcinoma. Design Multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Setting Ten academic and community medical centers between 2006 and 2009. Patients Subjects with esophageal carcinoma in whom conventional therapy failed and those who refused or were ineligible for conventional therapy. Interventions Cryotherapy with follow-up biopsies. Treatment was complete when tumor eradication was confirmed by biopsy or when treatment was halted because of tumor progression, patient preference, or comorbid condition. Main Outcome Measurements Complete eradication of luminal cancer and adverse events. Results Seventy-nine subjects (median age 76 years, 81% male, 94% with adenocarcinoma) were treated. Tumor stage included T1-60, T2-16, and T3/4-3. Mean tumor length was 4.0 cm (range 1–15 cm). Previous treatment including endoscopic resection, photodynamic therapy, esophagectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy failed in 53 subjects (67%). Forty-nine completed treatment. Complete response of intraluminal disease was seen in 31 of 49 subjects (61.2%), including 18 of 24 (75%) with mucosal cancer. Mean (standard deviation) length of follow-up after treatment was 10.6 (8.4) months overall and 11.5 (2.8) months for T1 disease. No serious adverse events were reported. Benign stricture developed in 10 (13%), with esophageal narrowing from previous endoscopic resection, radiotherapy, or photodynamic therapy noted in 9 of 10 subjects. Limitations Retrospective study design, short follow-up. Conclusions Spray cryotherapy is safe and well tolerated for esophageal cancer. Short-term results suggest that it is effective in those who could not receive conventional treatment, especially for those with mucosal cancer.

Background and study aims: Current diagnostic testing is inadequate to determine the malignant potential of pancreatic cysts, resulting in overcautious patient management. Integrated molecular pathology (IMP) testing combines molecular analysis with first-line test results (cytology, imaging, and fluid chemistry) to assess the malignant potential of pancreatic cysts. This multicenter study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of IMP for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and the utility of IMP testing under current guideline recommendations for managing pancreatic cysts. Patients and methods: Patients who had undergone previous IMP testing as prescribed by their physician and for whom clinical outcomes were available from retrospective record review were included (n?=?492). Performance was determined by correlation between clinical outcome and previous IMP diagnosis (?benign?/?statistically indolent? vs. ?statistically higher risk [SHR]?/ ?aggressive?) or an International Consensus Guideline (Sendai 2012) criteria model for ?surveillance? vs. ?surgery.? The Cox proportional hazards model determined hazard ratios for malignancy. Results: Benign and statistically indolent IMP diagnoses had a 97?% probability of benign follow-up for up to 7 years and 8 months from initial IMP testing. SHR and aggressive diagnoses had relative hazard ratios for malignancy of 30.8 and 76.3, respectively (both P??93?% probability of benign follow-up, with relative hazard ratios for SHR and aggressive IMP diagnoses of 16.1 and 50.2, respectively (both P?

Background-Endoscopic ablation to treat Barrett's esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) is associated with a decreased incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic spray cryotherapy (CRYO) demonstrates promising preliminary data.Objective-To assess the safety and efficacy of CRYO in BE with HGD. Design-Multicenter, retrospective cohort study.Setting-Nine academic and community centers; treatment period, 2007 to 2009.Patients-Subjects with HGD confirmed by 2 pathologists. Previous EMR was allowed if residual HGD remained. Interventions-CRYO with follow-up biopsies.Main Outcome Measurements-Complete eradication of HGD with persistent low-grade dysplasia, complete eradication of all dysplasia with persistent nondysplastic intestinal metaplasia, and complete eradication of all intestinal metaplasia.Results-Ninety-eight subjects (mean age 65.4 years, 83% male) with BE and HGD (mean length 5.3 cm) underwent 333 treatments (mean 3.4 treatments per subject). There were no esophageal perforations. Strictures developed in 3 subjects. Two subjects reported severe chest pain managed with oral narcotics. One subject was hospitalized for bright red blood per rectum. Sixty subjects had completed all planned CRYO treatments and were included in the efficacy analysis. Fifty-eight subjects (97%) had complete eradication of HGD, 52 (87%) had complete eradication of all dysplasia with persistent nondysplastic intestinal metaplasia, and 34 (57%) had complete eradication of all intestinal metaplasia. Subsquamous BE was found in 2 subjects (3%).