The value of endoscopic mucosal resection in diagnosis of early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesion

Objective To investigate the differences of histopathological diagnosis between the endoscopic mucosal resection （EMR） specimens and the biopsy specimens, and to evaluate the value and the limitation of EMR in diagnosis of early esophageal cancers and its precursor lesions. Methods A retrospec- tive analysis on 217 lesions with early esophageal cancers or the precursor lesions treated by EMR was performed. The differences between pathological diagnoses of biopsy and EMR were compared. Results Compared with pathologic diagnosis after EMR, the yield of biopsy consisted of 41.9% （91/217） as under-diag- nosed, 15.7% （ 34/217 ） as over-diagnosed, and 42. 4% （92/217） as consistent. EMR diagnosis also explicated the differentiation, the grade, the invasive depth and the lympho-vascular infiltration of the lesions. Conclusion The endoscopic biopsy diagnosis is limited for the pathological diagnosis of early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions, while the EMR sample can provide objectiVe diagnosis and provide the guideline for the further treatment. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms ;  Pathology, clinical;  Biopsy ;  Endosfopic mucosal resec- tion