ABSTRACT

Esophageal cancer (EC) often cannot be discovered in time because of its asymptomatic or symptom-atypical characteristics in early stage. The risk and probability of lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis increase correspondingly as the cancer aggressively invades deeper layers. Treatment regimens may be shifted to surgery and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) from endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) with poor quality of life and prognosis. It is imperative to identify dysplasia and EC early and enable early curative endoscopic treatments. Newer methods have been attempted in the clinical setting to achieve early detection at a more microscopic and precise level. Newer imaging techniques and artificial intelligence (AI) technology have been involved in targeted biopsies and will gradually unveil the visualization of pathology in the future. Early detection and diagnosis are the prerequisite to choose personal and precise treatment regimens. EET has also been undergoing development and improvement to benefit more patients as the first option or the firstly chosen alternative therapy, when compared with esophagectomy. More clinical studies are needed to provide more possibilities for EET.

摘要

食管癌（EC）由于其早期无症状或症状不典型的特点，常常不能被及时发现。随着肿瘤向更深层侵袭，淋巴结转移和远处转移的风险和概率相应增加。治疗方案可能会从生活质量和预后较差的内窥镜根除疗法 (EET) 转向手术和放化疗 (CRT)。必须尽早识别发育不良和 EC，并进行早期治愈性内镜治疗。已经在临床环境中尝试了更新的方法，以在更微观和更精确的水平上实现早期检测。较新的成像技术和人工智能 (AI) 技术已经参与到靶向活检中，并将在未来逐步揭开病理可视化的面纱。早期发现和诊断是选择个性化和精确治疗方案的先决条件。与食管切除术相比，EET 也在不断发展和改进，以作为首选或首选替代疗法使更多患者受益。需要更多的临床研究来为 EET 提供更多的可能性。