Rececntly, the number of early and superficial carcinomas of the esophagus have markedly increased in Japan. The treatment strategy for early cancers of the esophagus has changed, and endoscopic mucosal resection has been employed in the past several years.
Although wide lymph node dissection -including that of the cervical, mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes - should be performed for submucosal cancer, endoscopic mucosal resection should be applied to lesions with a depth limited to the proper mucosal layer, and a width of less than 3 cm, not occupying the whole circumference of the esophagus and where the total number of lesions is less than four.
The details of our endoscopic mucosal resection technique using an EEMR-tube are presented in conjunction with the results of 189 cases treated with this method.
Endoscopic mucosal resection of the esophagus should be applied under a broader indication than that of the stomach and colon, because regular surgical operations involving the esophagus are very invasive.
