Local Treatment of Early Cancer in Short Barrett's Esophagus by Means of Argon Plasma Coagulation: Initial Experience

Introduction

As with the early gastric carcinoma, the management of early Barrett's cancer has changed in recent years because of the option of high-resolution endoscopic ultrasound. In particular, well differentiated mucosal early cancers can be treated using local endoscopically controlled therapeutic methods, such as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), photodynamic therapy (PDT), or thermal destruction using a KTP laser, with the aim of cure, even in operable patients [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].

Depending on the extent and anatomic location of early Barrett's cancer, EMR procedures can be risky and technically difficult. Photodynamic therapy or laser modalities such as the KTP laser are either relatively sophisticated and/or expensive techniques.

In contrast to PDT and thermal laser destruction, argon plasma coagulation (APC) is a new non-contact method which is relatively inexpensive and is straightforward in application. Reports are so far lacking on the use of APC for early Barrett's carcinoma. We report on our initial experience in three patients suffering from early cancer of Barrett's esophagus.

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