Ping Tang's research while affiliated with Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital) and other places

Background and aims With the continuous development of endoscopic technology, endoscopic resection (ER) has gradually become an optional method for the treatment of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). However, studies with a large sample or a long follow-up are lacking. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ER for gastric GISTs in the real-world setting with more than 300 enrolled patients and a follow-up period longer than 45 months. Methods From January 2013 to February 2023, 409 patients with a pathological diagnosis of GISTs after ER were retrospectively enrolled in this study. After excluding 86 patients with non-gastric GISTs, we assessed 323 patients with gastric GISTs. The main outcome measures were en bloc resection, complete resection, residual disease, recurrence, and complications. Results There were 194 (60.06%) females and 129 (39.94%) males, and the median age of the included patients was 58 years (51, 63). The median tumor size was 15.0 (10.0, 20.0) mm. According to the modified NIH criteria, 246 (75.85%) patients were classified as very low risk, 62 (19.20%) were classified as low risk, 12 (3.72%) were classified as moderate risk, and 3 (0.93%) were classified as high risk. A total of 287 (88.85%) patients achieved en bloc resection, and 287 (88.85%) also achieved complete resection. Only one patient showed residual and no recurrent lesions were noted during the follow-up. Regarding complications, three patients had complications, with a complication rate of 0.93%, and no severe complications requiring surgical intervention occurred. Conclusion ER is an appropriate alternative method for the treatment of gastric GISTs, with an en bloc resection rate of 88.85% and a complication rate of 0.93%. No recurrence was noted during follow-up, even for GISTs with piecemeal resection.

Background and Objectives This study retrospectively evaluated the value of liquid-based cytology (LBC) alone for diagnosing pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs) in a large sample and initially estimated factors that might affect LBC diagnostic ability. Methods From April 2015 to October 2022, we prospectively enrolled 331 patients with suspected PCNs in our prospective database. Among them, 112 patients chosen to receive surgical resection were included. Only 96 patients who underwent EUS-guided cystic fluid LBC were finally studied. The diagnostic values of LBC for differentiating benign and malignant PCNs and subtypes of PCNs were evaluated. Results There were 71 female and 25 male patients with a mean age of 47.6 ± 14.4 years. The median cyst size was 43.4 mm. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of LBC for the differentiation of benign and malignant PCNs were 96.9%, 57.1%, 100%, 100%, and 96.7%, respectively. The overall diagnostic accuracy of LBC for specific cyst types was 33.3% (32/96). Cysts located in the pancreatic body/tail or with irregular shapes were more likely to obtain a definite LBC diagnosis. At the same time, age, sex, tumor size, cystic fluid viscosity, operation time, needle type, and presence of septation were not significantly different. Conclusion Liquid-based cytology alone is useful for differentiating benign PCNs from malignant PCNs and can successfully characterize the PCN subtypes in one-third of patients. Pancreatic cystic neoplasms located in the body/tail or exhibiting irregular shapes are more likely to obtain a definite LBC diagnosis.

Background and aims: Few studies on endoscopic resection (ER) for the treatment of non-gastric gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumors (GISTs) have been conducted, and most have been case reports or case series. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ER for non-gastric GISTs. Methods: From January 2010 to December 2022, 329 patients who were diagnosed with GISTs underwent ER. After excluding 302 patients with gastric GISTs, we retrospectively assessed the data of 27 patients with non-gastric GISTs. The main outcome measures were en bloc resection, complete resection, residual disease, recurrence, and complications. Results: A total of 15(55.6%) females and 12(44.4%) males with a mean age of 53.8±11.0 years were assessed. There were 19 (70.4%) GISTs in the esophagus, 2 (7.4%) in the duodenum, 3 (11.1%) in the colon and 3 (11.1%) in the rectum. The median tumor size was 12.0 mm (range 4.0-35.0 mm). Most of the GISTs (20, 74.1%) were very low risk, and the remaining 7(25.9%) were low risk. Both en bloc resection and complete resection were achieved in 25(92.6%) patients. Piecemeal resection mainly resulted from a larger tumor size, an irregular shape, and an extraluminal growth pattern. No residual disease or recurrence was noted during the follow-up period. The median operation time was 23 min (range 2-125 min). After excluding the operation time of EER, the operation time was prolonged to 37 min (range 12-125 min). Only one patient experienced mild abdominal pain, leading to a complication rate of 3.7%. No severe complications requiring for surgical interventions occurred. Conclusion: ER was an effective and safe method for non-gastric GISTs in selected cases. GISTs of a small size and regular shape with an intraluminal growth pattern require complete resection.

Background and aims No study has evaluated the diagnostic value of SpyGlass by comparing SpyGlass results and non-SpyGlass results. In this retrospective study, we aimed to compare the diagnostic value of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and EUS-FNA combined with SpyGlass to evaluate whether SpyGlass is valuable for increasing the diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA. Methods From April 2015 to April 2020, 251 patients suspected of having pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) by imaging techniques who then underwent EUS-FNA were retrospectively enrolled. Only 98 patients who underwent surgical resection with a pathological diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesion (PCL) were studied. The diagnostic performance outcomes were compared between the EUS-FNA group (EUS-FNA alone, n = 40) and the SpyGlass group (EUS-FNA combined with SpyGlass, n = 58) to assess the value of SpyGlass in diagnosing PCLs. Results There were 71 females and 27 males with an overall mean age of 47.6 years. The median diameter of the PCLs was 42.2 mm (range, 11.4–100.0 mm). Approximately 37 cysts were localized in the head/neck of the pancreas, while 61 in the body/tail. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of the EUS-FNA group were 96.4% (27/28), 83.3% (10/12), 93.1% (27/29), 90.9% (10/11) and 92.5% (37/40), while those in the SpyGlass group were 100% (54/54), 75% (3/4), 98.2% (54/55), 100% (3/3) and 98.3% (57/58), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy rate in the SpyGlass group was higher than that in the EUS-FNA group; however, no significant difference was found between the two groups (P = 0.368). The diagnostic accuracy of evaluating specific cyst types in the EUS-FNA group was 85% (34/40), similar to that in the SpyGlass group (85.0% vs 84.5%, P = 0.944). Conclusion SpyGlass seems less valuable for the diagnosis of PCLs when EUS and EUS-FNA have been performed by experienced endoscopists.

Background and aims Few studies have evaluated the value of endoscopic resection (ER) for the treatment of gastric gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumors (GISTs) originating from the muscularis propria (MP) in a large population, and no studies have evaluated risk factors for piecemeal resection. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ER for gastric GISTs in a real-world setting and to explore factors associated with piecemeal resection. Methods From January 2013 to December 2019, 185 patients with gastric GISTs originating from the MP were assessed. Clinicopathological and endoscopic data were collected and analyzed. Baseline characteristics of the en bloc resection and piecemeal resection groups were compared to evaluate predictive factors for piecemeal resection. Results There were 71 males and 114 females with a mean age of 57.0 ± 9.7 years. The mean size of GISTs was 15 mm (range 4–65 mm). A total of 123 were very low risk, 52 were low risk, and ten were moderate risk. In this study, 103 GISTs were treated with endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE), 68 GISTs were treated with endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFR), and 14 GISTs were treated with submucosal tunneling ER (STER). Either en bloc resection or complete resection was achieved in 160 (86.5%) patients. No recurrence was noted during follow-up. Only five patients experienced minor complications, with a complication rate of 2.7%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that size (odds ratio [OR] 1.060, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.004–1.118; P = 0.035) and shape (OR 5.434, 95% CI 1.638–18.027; P = 0.006) were independent predictors of piecemeal resection. Conclusion ER was effective and safe for the treatment of gastric GISTs originating from the MP. Piecemeal resection did not seem to affect the efficacy of ER, and no recurrence was noted during follow-up. Large size and irregular shape are risk factors related to piecemeal resection of ER.

Background and objectives: We initially reported EUS-guided lauromacrogol ablation (EUS-LA) to treat pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs); however, its long-term effectiveness remains unknown. This study was performed to further determine the effectiveness of EUS-LA in a larger population with a long-term follow-up based on 5 years of experience with EUS-LA. Materials and methods: From April 2015 to April 2020, 279 patients suspected of having PCNs were prospectively enrolled, and seventy patients underwent EUS-guided ablation using lauromacrogol alone. Fifty-five patients underwent follow-up, 35 of whom had a follow-up duration of at least 12 months. The effectiveness of ablation was determined based on volume changes. Results: Among the fifty female and twenty male patients with an overall mean age of 50.3 years, cysts were located in the head/neck of the pancreas in 37 patients (52.9%) and in the body/tail of the pancreas in 33 patients (47.1%). The adverse events rate was 3.6% (3/84), with 14 patients undergoing a second ablation. Among the 55 patients who underwent follow-up, the median cystic volume sharply decreased from 11,494.0 mm3 to 523.6 mm3 (P < 0.001), and the mean diameter decreased from 32.0 mm to 11.0 mm (P < 0.001). Postoperative imaging showed complete resolution (CR) in 26 patients (47.3%) and partial resolution (PR) in 15 (27.3%) patients. CR was observed in 18 (51.4%), and PR was observed in 9 (25.7%) patients among the 35 patients followed for at least 12 months. Conclusions: EUS-LA was effective and safe for the treatment of PCNs with stable effectiveness based on at least 12 months of follow-up.

Background: Pancreatic adenoma can potentially transform into adenocarcinoma, so it is recommended to be resected surgically or endoscopically. Endoscopic papillectomy is one of the main treatments for papillary adenoma, and bleeding, perforation, and pancreatitis are the most frequent and critical adverse events that restrict its wider use. There is no standard procedure for endoscopic papillectomy yet. The procedure is relevant to postoperative adverse events. Aim: To reduce the postoperative adverse event rates and improve patients' postoperative condition, we developed a standard novel procedure for endoscopic papillectomy. Methods: The novel endoscopic papillectomy had two main modifications based on the conventional method: The isolation of bile from pancreatic juice with a bile duct stent and wound surface protection with metal clips and fibrin glue. We performed a single-center retrospective comparison study on the novel and conventional methods to examine the feasibility of the novel method for reducing postoperative adverse events. Results: A total of 76 patients, of whom 23 underwent the novel procedure and 53 underwent the conventional procedure, were retrospectively evaluated in this study. The postoperative bleeding and pancreatitis rates of the novel method were significantly lower than those of the conventional method (0 vs 20.75%, P = 0.028, and 17.4% vs 41.5%, P = 0.042, respectively). After applying the novel method, the most critical adverse event, perforation, was entirely prevented, compared to a prevalence of 5.66% with the conventional method. Several postoperative symptoms, including fever, rapid pulse, and decrease in hemoglobin level, were significantly less frequent in the novel group (P = 0.042, 0.049, and 0.014, respectively). Overall, the total adverse event rate of the novel method was lower (0 vs 24.5%, P = 0.007) than that of the conventional method. Conclusion: Patients who underwent the novel procedure had lower postoperative adverse event rates. This study demonstrates the potential efficacy and safety of the novel endoscopic papillectomy in reducing postoperative adverse events.

Background: The management strategies for recurrent ampullary adenoma after endoscopic papillectomy are still controversial. Patients with the recurrent papillary lesions need to receive repetitive endoscopic interventions due to the limitations of conventional endoscopic techniques. Aim: To assess the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) by duodenoscope for recurrent, laterally spreading papillary lesions. Methods: We enrolled two patients with recurrent, laterally spreading, duodenal papillary adenomas with no intraductal extension confirmed by follow-up between March 2017 and September 2018. After marking the resection borders of the lesion using a dual knife, a submucosal cushion was created by injecting a mixture of saline solution, methylene blue, and adrenaline. A total circumferential incision and submucosal excision was performed by dual knife combined with insulated-tip diathermic knife, and then the lesion was ligated and resected using an electric snare. Endoscopic hemostasis was applied during the endoscopic procedures. Moreover, the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures, including selective cannulation and stent implantation of biliary and pancreatic ducts, were performed. Additionally, we performed endoclip closure for mucosal defect after ESD. Results: Hybrid ESD using a duodenoscope and biliary and pancreatic stent placement were performed successfully in two patients. The endoscopic size of recurrent papillary lesions was no more than 2 cm. Generally, the average total procedure time was 95.5 min, and the procedure time of ESD and ERCP was 38.5 min and 15.5 min, respectively. No serious complications occurred during the intraoperative and postoperative periods. The histopathological examination revealed tubulovillous adenoma negative for neoplastic extension at the cut margin in both patients. The duodenoscopic follow-up and histopathology of biopsy specimens at 3 mo after ESD showed no residual or recurrent lesions in ampullary areas in both cases. Both cases have been followed up with no recurrence to June 2020. Conclusion: Hybrid ESD by duodenoscope is technically challenging, and may be curative for recurrent, laterally spreading papillary adenomas < 2 cm. It should be performed cautiously in selected patients by experienced endoscopists.

Background and Aims To determine the value of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (CE-EUS) for differentiation of pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs). Methods From April 2015 to December 2017, 82 patients were enrolled in this study. All patients were confirmed to have PCNs by surgical pathology. Prior to surgery, all patients underwent fundamental B-mode EUS (FB-EUS) and CE-EUS, 65 of whom underwent computed tomography (CT) and 71 of whom underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The enhanced mode data of PCNs were recorded. The diagnostic accuracy of CE-EUS in classifying PCNs was compared with that of CT, MRI and FB-EUS. The ability of CE-EUS to identify PCNs was evaluated by comparing the enhanced mode of PCNs. Results There was a significant difference between benign and malignant lesions in enhanced mode (P = 0.017). The enhanced modes of benign lesions were mostly type II and type III, while those of malignant lesions were type 0, type I, and type IV. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of type 0, type I, and type IV enhanced mode as the diagnostic criterion for malignant lesions were 80%, 65.3%, and 67.1%, respectively. CE-EUS demonstrated greater accuracy in identifying PCNs than did CT, MRI, and FB-EUS (CE-EUS vs. CT: 92.3% vs. 76.9%; CE-EUS vs. MRI: 93.0% vs. 78.9%; CE-EUS vs. FB-EUS: 92.7% vs. 84.2%). Conclusion Compared with CT, MRI, and FB-EUS, CE-EUS is better at differentiating PCNs. CE-EUS is expected to be another important imaging technique for the diagnosis of PCNs.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of iodine-125 seed implantation, guided by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and/or percutanous ultrasound, in patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma after relief of obstructive jaundice using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Methods and materials: A total of 101 patients with obstructive jaundice due to unresectable pancreatic carcinoma were enrolled between January 2010 and December 2017 in this retrospective study. Of these patients, 50 underwent implantation of iodine-125 seeds under EUS and/or percutaneous ultrasound guidance after receiving a stent via ERCP (treatment group), and 51 received a stent via ERCP without undergoing seed implantation (control group). The clinical data and therapeutic outcomes of these patients were analyzed. Results: Compared with the control group, the treatment group obtained significant relief of abdominal pain at the 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month followup (p < 0.05), with a significantly lower visual analog scale pain score (p < 0.05). The treatment group obtained a longer median survival (8.8 vs. 6.5 months, p = 0.02), longer median duration of stent patency (10.8 ± 1.4 vs. 6.9 ± 0.8 months, p = 0.02), and prolonged average time to gastric outlet obstruction (6.8 ± 1.6 vs. 5.3 ± 1.3 months, p = 0.02). Differences between liver function and appetite for the two groups were not significant (p > 0.05 and p = 0.59, respectively). Conclusions: Iodine-125 seed implantation after relief of obstructive jaundice via ERCP prolongs survival, biliary stent patency, and time to gastric outlet obstruction and improves patient quality of life by relieving pancreatic pain in patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma.