Society: SSAT

Background and aims: Several small studies reported high risk of progression to high grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients who undergo solid organ transplantation (SOT). However, the major shortcoming of these reports is the lack of a control population. Therefore, we aim to determine the rates of neoplastic progression in SOT patients with BE compared to controls and also the risk factors associated with progression.
Methods: A retrospective case-control study of all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of BE (age ≥18 years) seen between Jan 2000 and Dec 2021 was conducted. Cases were all BE patients who had SOT; controls were all BE patients with no SOT and no immunosuppressant use. Demographics, endoscopic and histological findings, duration of follow-up (in years), history of fundoplication and immunosuppressant use were abstracted. Patients with ≥1 surveillance endoscopies were included to calculate incidence rates of HGD/EAC. Multivariate logistic regression was done to identify the risk factors associated with progression of BE patients to HGD/EAC.
Results: There were 118 cases with SOT (lung =35, liver=35, kidney=35, heart=14, pancreas=2) and 756 controls with no prior history of SOT or immunosuppressant use. Patients with SOT were predominantly younger (p=0.022); male, had lower body mass index (BMI) and active smokers (p<0.001 for all) (table 1). On multivariate analysis, older age, male gender, BE segment length, higher BMI and hiatal hernia were more likely to be associated with progression of BE to HGD/EAC (table 2). BE patients with immunosuppressant medication use were twice more likely to progress to HGD/EAC (p<0.001) (table 2).
Conclusion: Immunosuppressant use increases the risk of neoplastic progression in patients with BE. Therefore, these patients may need more aggressive surveillance. This study has important clinical implications for surveillance in BE patients with SOT.

<b>Table 1</b>: Baseline Characteristics

Table 1: Baseline Characteristics

<b>Table 2: Multivariable Model for Prevalent or Incident HGD/EAC</b>

Table 2: Multivariable Model for Prevalent or Incident HGD/EAC

INTRODUCTION
Screening colonoscopy (SC) is widely accepted and has been shown to decrease the rate of colorectal cancer death. Guidelines and acceptance of screening for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) are less established despite the fact that esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) remains the fastest increasing cancer in the United States. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of SC in patients ultimately found to have EA, and to evaluate the presence of symptoms that might have prompted an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and potentially earlier diagnosis of the EA.
METHODS
A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all patients who were referred to a single center with esophageal cancer between July 2016 and November 2022. Patients with any histology other than adenocarcinoma were excluded.
RESULTS
There were 221 patients referred with EA. Of these, a SC had been done prior to the diagnosis of EA in 108 patients (49%), 96 men and 12 women. The median age was 66.4 years. A total of 203 SC had been done (range 1-7 per patient). The median interval from SC to the diagnosis of EA was 2.88 years. The highest stage lesion found on SC was colorectal carcinoma in 2 patients and tubulovillous adenoma in 3 patients. There were 36 patients (33.3%) with no findings on SC. At the time of SC, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms or regular acid suppression medication use was documented in 48.1% of patients (Table). In those with GERD symptoms, the symptoms had been present either life-long or for many years in 69% of patients. Only 19 patients (17.6%) that had a SC had an EGD at any time prior to the diagnosis of EA. In 8 patients, the EGD that found EA was done at the time of SC for anemia, regurgitation symptoms or new-onset dysphagia. A T1 lesion was found in 25% of these patients compared to only 7% of patients that had an EGD separate from the SC (p=0.059). Dysphagia was present at the time of SC in 9 patients, and in 3 patients a SC without an EGD was performed a median of 3 months prior to the EGD that showed EA.
CONCLUSIONS
Nearly one-half of patients ultimately diagnosed with EA had GERD symptoms for many years or were using acid suppression medications regularly at the time of SC, but did not undergo EGD. In 40% of the patients the SC was done within 2 years of the diagnosis of EA. The addition of an EGD at the time of SC in these patients may have allowed early detection of BE or EA.

Steven Demeester

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