Radiofrequency Ablation and Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus and Early Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Outcomes of the UK National Halo RFA Registry

Background & AimsPatients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) and high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or early neoplasia increasingly receive endoscopic mucosal resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy. We analyzed data from a UK registry that follows the outcomes of patients with BE who have undergone RFA for neoplasia.MethodsWe collected data on 335 patients with BE and neoplasia (72% with HGD, 24% with intramucosal cancer, 4% with low-grade dysplasia [mean age, 69 years; 81% male]), treated at 19 centers in the United Kingdom from July 2008 through August 2012. Mean length of BE segments was 5.8 cm (range, 1−20 cm). Patients' nodules were removed by endoscopic mucosal resection, and the patients then underwent RFA every 3 months until all areas of BE were ablated or cancer developed. Biopsies were collected 12 months after the first RFA; clearance of HGD, dysplasia, and BE were assessed.ResultsHGD was cleared from 86% of patients, all dysplasia from 81%, and BE from 62% at the 12-month time point, after a mean of 2.5 (range, 2−6) RFA procedures. Complete reversal dysplasia was 15% less likely for every 1-cm increment in BE length (odds ratio = 1.156; SE = 0.048; 95% confidence interval: 1.07−1.26; P < .001). Endoscopic mucosal resection before RFA did not provide any benefit. Invasive cancer developed in 10 patients (3%) by the 12-month time point and disease had progressed in 17 patients (5.1%) after a median follow-up time of 19 months. Symptomatic strictures developed in 9% of patients and were treated by endoscopic dilatation. Nineteen months after therapy began, 94% of patients remained clear of dysplasia.ConclusionsWe analyzed data from a large series of patients in the United Kingdom who underwent RFA for BE-related neoplasia and found that by 12 months after treatment, dysplasia was cleared from 81%. Shorter segments of BE respond better to RFA; http://www.controlled-trials.com, number ISRCTN93069556.