Feasibility of endoscopic resection without laparoscopic assistance for giant gastric subepithelial tumors originating from the muscularis propria layer (with video).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Currently, published data of endoscopic resection (ER) for giant (≥ 6 cm) gastric subepithelial tumors originating from the muscularis propria layer (MP-SETs) are extremely rare and limited to only case reports. The aim of this study was thus to assess the feasibility of using ER for giant (≥ 6 cm) gastric MP-SETs in a case series.

METHODS: Between July 2013 and December 2020, a total of 23 patients with giant (≥ 6 cm) gastric MP-SETs were treated with ER in the endoscopic center of Taizhou hospital. The study assessed outcomes of en bloc resection, complete resection, total complications, and local residual/recurrence of tumors.

RESULTS: The mean procedure time was 112.2 min. En bloc resection was achieved in 22 tumors (95.7%). En bloc removal from the stomach and complete resection were achieved in 6 patients (26.1%). The rate of complete resection differed significantly depending on the minimum tumor diameter (P < 0.001). During hospitalization, 4 patients had complications, including localized peritonitis (3/23, 13.0%) and pulmonary infection (1/23, 4.3%). These 4 patients recovered successfully after conservative medical treatment. Histopathological examination revealed that 18 tumors were gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and 5 tumors were leiomyoma. No patients were observed to have residual or recurrent tumors during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: Although ER for giant (≥ 6 cm) gastric MP-SETs was associated with several technical challenges and a relatively low complete resection rate, this technique was found to be a feasible therapeutic method for selected patients with a giant (≥ 6 cm) gastric MP-SETs when performed by an experienced endoscopic team.